String Theory
by HigherSilver
Summary: Friends With Benefits; in theory, it sounds perfect. All the "fun" with no repercussions, no commitment, and no strings attached. If Isabella and Ferb decided to test this theory, nothing would change, right? Isabella would still love Phineas and Ferb would still love Vanessa. So why do the two of them just keep getting tangled together? The theory is about to be challenged.
1. Friend-zoned

**Hi guys. Guess what I'm doing? It's called "screwing yourself over in the long run because you're tackling too many projects." But my Suite Life story is nearly complete, and I know I can do at least two stories once. So this idea has been swirling around in my head for a little while. Not even sure why. But let me know if I should continue. It's rated M because I'm paranoid, and you never know...**

**Love, Silver**

* * *

It happened last Friday, at around 6:07 PM. I was talking on the phone with him about how amazing summer was going to be and he said it. "You're one of my best friends, Isabella."

Was I happy? Oh, sure. Phineas is one of my best friends too. But those words stung in an entirely different way. It was only more proof that I was stuck in that evil little place. The dreaded… wait for it… FRIEND ZONE!

The friend zone is so utterly evil that I'm afraid I'm never going to get out of it. No matter what I do or say, it keeps me planted. I know the way to a guy's heart is friendship, but I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up.

Sometimes I worry if maybe Phineas knows about my feelings for him and he's purposely banished me here. I know all too well how to do it myself. Baljeet? Banished! Buford? Banished! Irving? Triple, one thousand, quadruple times banished! Obviously, I don't need yet another guy friend.

Then again, if you look at how oblivious he is, you'd know he couldn't possibly know. I mean, I have made it obvious for him more than a few times. Even though I've shifted from the girl across the way to the girl across the hallway, it's all the same.

After everybody's graduation, Phineas and Ferb moved to a huge apartment in a gorgeous skyscraper they built in the center of Danville. I couldn't help but follow. Apparently, Baljeet and Buford wanted to follow too.

I can't believe Phineas doesn't miss the backyard. I never thought he'd be the first one to want to grow up. Phineas and Ferb work for the city, basically. They do whatever they feel like; organizing concerts, building amusement parks, making movies, only now they get paid for what they make, instead of just giving it away. Baljeet is the personal assistant to some big wig millionaire. I think he's just trying to climb to the top from there. Buford is trying to be a bodyguard. He says he even has experience. I don't have a job, per say. I know that somehow I'll get Phineas to fall for me and then we'll have a fabulous life together.

I was still stuck on that little phone conversation though. It had been running through my head all day. Gack! I could NOT stay in the friend zone with Phineas any longer. I couldn't even remember the last time I went on a real date. Oh yeah, it was during the summer of my freshman year of college. With some weird kid that smelt like turkey. I only went out with him to make Phineas jealous. Let's just say Phineas didn't get jealous, Turkey Boy ended up with a piece of cake smashed in his face, and I had to call Ferb to drive me home, and leave it at that.

Whatever. I couldn't keep letting my previous failures keep me down. I have a framed Fireside Girl sash with dozens of patches to prove that I can succeed at any task I put my mind to. In fact, I was going to hang out with the troop right now.

I headed out of my apartment with a new sense of optimism. I swirled my keys around on my finger for a second before slipping them back in my pocket. Then, I started whistling. My eyes must have been closed, because I crashed into the person coming out of the elevator.

"Ferb! Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" I said.

He had been carrying several largish boxes, which were now scattered all over the ground. He sheepishly shrugged, and bent down to pick them up. I instantly bent down to help him.

"What are all these for anyway?" I asked. "You and Phineas building some new project?"

He shook his head no.

I looked him up and down. "Why are you dressed so nicely?" I tiptoed closer to him and took a deep breath. "And you're wearing some fancy cologne!" Ferb blushed super red. I giggled. "What are you up to, Ferb?"

He mimed zipping his lips.

I pouted. "What! You can tell me Ferb. I'm like your best friend." Well, I probably come in behind all three other guys, but still. I'm pretty sure I'm his best girl friend.

He rolled his eyes. "Okay. I'm doing something special tonight."

"Ok, let me think for a minute here. You're doing something special tonight and it DOESN'T involve Phineas. Could it be… for a girl?" I said. Ferb blushed brightly again. "Ha! I knew it."

"Isabella," He said, "Why don't you go see what Phineas is doing?"

"Oookay, Romeo. But you do know that's the same place you're going, right?"

He let out a little groan.

"Relax Ferb. I was going out anyway. I'll swing by later." He nodded in acknowledgement.

I hit the elevator button as Ferb headed to his apartment. "Ferb!" I called out to him. He turned around to look at me. "Good luck on your… something special!"

* * *

I plopped down on a beanbag, but found myself sinking right in. "Katie, when are you going to get some real chairs?"

She shrugged. Katie can be… eclectic. Which would explain why her normally blonde hair was currently purple and curly. I didn't feel like asking about it.

"Isabella, no one really cares." Said Adyson, as she stretched out on hers like a cat.

I frowned. Adyson just really loves to irk me sometimes; from making up patch names to making fun of my feelings for Phineas. "I didn't come here to get picked on, Adyson." I said.

"She's not picking on you, Izzy. Just relax." Gretchen said to me, comfortingly.

"What do you guys want to talk about, then?" said Milly.

"Let's have a little talk about guys." Ginger said, giggling.

I smiled. Obviously, she wanted to talk about Baljeet. They recently got together. Unfortunately, I didn't win the pool that the girls and guys had set up. Too bad, because that would've been a nice chunk of change. I can't help wondering if maybe, just maybe, the gang has a pool set up for Phineas and me. I don't know whether that would make me feel happy or sad.

"Ok, Ginger, shoot." Holly said.

"Well, Baljeet took me out to dinner last night, and it was so romantic. I never though I would like Indian food so much." She said.

"Forget the food, Ginger, get to the juicy details." Adyson said.

"Yeah, like what was for… dessert?" Milly said, winking at her.

"Iced lemonade and a kiss on the cheek. Guys, we just started going out. And I know Baljeet will probably want to go really slow." She frowned. "I mean, look how long it took for him to ask me out."

"Too bad Ginger. I had A LOT of fun with Toby last night." Adyson said.

"Your stupid punk rock boyfriend?" I scoffed. "What's his idea of a lot of fun? Listening to metal music?"

"No," Adyson smirked, "More like so much fun my bra is still under his bed. Not like you would know."

"Addie, there's no reason to go attack Isabella." Gretchen said.

"Well, she made fun of Toby first!" She accused. "I would make fun of your Phineas, except he couldn't care less about who you sleep with."

"Shut up Adyson!" Now I was pissed off.

"When's the last time you even slept with anybody, Isabella?" She said.

"I'm not as slutty as you." I replied forcefully.

"Miss Morals, you can't even get your best friend to feel attraction towards you." She said spitefully.

At that point, I felt like crying. "Adyson, shut up! Why are you being so nasty?" Gretchen yelled. "Iz, you okay?"

Damn, those tears better not fall!

"Oh my gosh, Isabella." Adyson jumped over to me. "I am so sorry! I was just upset because of you insulting Toby." She sounded genuinely sorry.

"But you're right." I whimpered. "This morning I could barely remember my last real date, much less the last guy I slept with. All because Phineas doesn't even notice me! What if he never does? I'll be lonely forever!"

"You'll still have your friends." Holly commented.

"But that's not enough." I don't know if they'd get what I meant. It wasn't… intimate enough. Not like when you're in a real relationship.

"You know what you need Isabella?" Milly piped up. "Someone to… enjoy… who isn't a real boyfriend. That way, you can still find out if Phineas likes you without getting in a committed relationship."

"What?" I exclaimed.

"I believe the term most commonly used for that is 'friends with benefits'." Gretchen said.

"Girls," I held out my hand. "I am not that desperate or pathetic or whatever you're thinking, and I firmly believe that Phineas will show his true feelings to me someday." I wasn't sure how strong that belief actually was, but the girls were talking crazy! Friends with benefits? ME? And who exactly would be my "friend"? "I'm leaving right now."

I got up to go, and I heard them quietly muttering things along the lines of "Bye, Izzy.". Uggh. Obviously, they wanted to talk about me while I was gone.

By the time I was back in the apartment building, my anger had fizzled away. I wasn't really mad at the girls. They were only trying to help. The only person I was mad at was… Phineas! That stupid oblivious adorable sweet fantastic guy was the whole reason I was so messed up! Oh Phineas. That's it, I had to go tell him I loved him right this second!

I stormed across the hall and loudly knocked on his door. For some reason, I couldn't get the thought of having a "special" friend out of my mind. It would be weird, wouldn't it? It would be like betraying Phineas. Then again, Phineas isn't my boyfriend. And they wouldn't be a boyfriend; they'd be like a normal friend… but with sex. Why was I even thinking about this? Am I crazy? That's it, Isabella! Tell Phineas how you feel about him!

The door opened and so did my mouth. I was ready. Phineas, I'm in love with you and… the person at the door was not Phineas. It was this tall, gorgeous blonde, who looked like a super model. I just felt my mouth open and close like a fish.

"Bye Minka!" Phineas said, as he waved goodbye to the blonde.

MINKA! Who the hell was Minka? Was that even a name? I still looked like a fish.

"Hey Isabella. Did you need something?" Phineas turned and asked me.

"I…I…" Why on Earth did he have a hot girl coming out of his apartment? How could I tell him I loved him now? Adyson was right; Phineas couldn't care less about whom I was with, because he was off having fun himself. I was going to cry. I couldn't! Not now! "I just wanted to see if you were home." I finished lamely.

He smiled. "Well, I am. Ferb's not though."

"Ok." I nodded, and silently turned around. I guess he took it as his cue to close the door. As soon as it shut, I felt the tears start to fall.

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**Please review or PM and give me some opinions on whether I should continue!**


	2. Ground Rules

**Thanks to the reviewers! I'm definitely continuing even though I have no idea what I'm doing! Yay!**

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I was especially excited about tonight. There was not a square inch I hadn't thought out. Flowers, chocolates, dinner under the stars. Now I just had to work up the nerve to ask her.

I had done my research. She had always lived in that funny shaped building downtown. Now that Phineas and I had moved out of the suburbs, it was even closer. I believe that she had her own apartment now, away from her father. I was completely prepared. I even had roses again. I made sure to get the darkest of reds, since that seems to be her preference.

I've been infatuated with Vanessa for years now. I can't say I'm in love with her. I don't know that for sure. But somehow my heart has always led me back to Vanessa, despite her abandoning me in Paris.

For a little while in high school I dated Gretchen, but for some reason it felt like we were only together because people thought we'd be cute, not because we really had true feelings for each other. So we broke up, though she's still my friend. Then, in my college years, there was this girl Sandra that my grandparents introduced me to back in the UK. We got along very well, but she was very quiet and low-key. For whatever reason, I'm drawn to girls with a sense of adventure, unlike Sandra. That's as far as my official girlfriend list goes, though like every man, I suppose, I have had several flings here and there.

You'd think Vanessa and I might not work, what with the age difference and all. But I've made sure to keep in touch with her.

I knocked on the door of her apartment. Everything was set up. I'd give her the flowers, and we'd head out to the dinner I had specially arranged.

The door opened, and there she stood, as lovely as ever, even though she's older than I. She was wearing her normal black garb, but her sleeves were rolled up, and she had her beautiful brown hair tied with a beige and black bandana around her head.

"Oh, hey Ferb." She smiled at me, which was both a rarity and a blessing. "Come to help me move in?" That was why she was dressed for cleaning.

I gently shook my head.

"Then what good are you to me?" She said giggling. "Just kidding. Come in."

I stepped inside. Her apartment was really nice. Lots of black of course, but there was also lots of light, and high-tech appliances, like a fancy cappuccino machine.

"So why did my quiet little buddy decide to stop by?" She asked playfully.

I almost felt like cringing. The way she spoke to me was almost as if she was my babysitter or something. I was in my twenties, but apparently I was still a kid. I had no idea what to do so I just stuck out my bouquet of roses.

Vanessa stared at them in dismay. Did I get the wrong color? "Ferb," she began, "I'm sorry. I've told you this before. There is no future for 'us'. We can always be friends, but JUST friends."

"Vanessa, if you'd just give me a chance…" I pleaded.

"I'm sorry Ferb, I can't. See, I didn't just move in here to get away from my parents." She sighed, and held her left hand out to me. "I'm engaged."

I felt my eyes pop as I stared at the large diamond positioned on her ring finger.

"I'm sorry for unintentionally leading you on, Ferb. But all those nights when I said I was busy, I was with my boyfriend. Monty."

Great. So now I knew the name of the guy I needed to annihilate.

"He's really a great guy. I bet you'd like him. He does all sorts of crazy things just like you. You know, working with animals, fighting evil, acrobatics." She giggled at whatever inside joke came with those statements. But she turned serious again. "I'm really sorry Ferb."

I didn't know what to do. "I still want you to have these though." I whispered, holding out the flowers.

She winced. "I don't think that's a good idea. I shouldn't be taking flowers from other guys." I sadly nodded. "Bye Ferb." She said, shutting the door.

I glumly stared at the flowers in my hand, as I turned and started towards the elevator. I suddenly slammed the bouquet into the garbage can next to it.

I ran my hands through my hair and hit the button. Now what was I supposed to do with that dinner under the stars I had set up outside? You know what, I didn't care. I was just going to leave it there. It didn't matter. I sighed. What was I doing? I was chasing after a woman who would never be mine, that's what I was doing. I should have known this would've happened from the moment I left the apartment. Monty… I was doomed.

Uggh, by the time I got home, I was ready to fall into my bed. Phineas better not ask me anything about the "date" unless he wanted his face ripped off. The elevator finally reached our floor. Why did I make the building so tall? Whatever. Slinking into utter depression in bed, here I come.

I got out of the elevator and the first thing I saw was a bundle of pink and black scrunched up on the hallway floor in front of our apartment. I quickly walked over there to see none other than Isabella on the ground, crying her eyes out. There was no way I was going to leave Isabella crying there, no matter how tired I was. All I could think was, what did my stupid brother do this time?

I walked over and stood right in front of her, so that she would see me. She did. She lifted her head and peered up at me. I offered my hand. She shook her head.

"Ferb, just leave me here to rot in my own misery." She whimpered.

I rolled my eyes. The drama queen. I wasn't exactly having the best day ever either. I took both her hands and hoisted her to her feet. I turned and was about to unlock the door to my apartment, when she stopped me.

"No! Phineas is in there!" She exclaimed. Obviously he was in there. "Come to my apartment." She turned to open her door. Hmm, I guess that meant that my assumption about Phineas making her cry was correct, and it also meant that she wanted to talk about it after all. I followed her inside.

We both sat down on one of her sofas. I turned towards her, giving her my full attention, though another broken romance was the last thing I wanted to hear about.

Isabella sniffled. "I was going to tell him. I really was this time, Ferb." That hardly seemed likely. Isabella was never going to work up the guts to tell Phineas she loved him. I mean, look how it worked out for Vanessa and me!

Isabella continued. "And when I came to the door, some gorgeous blonde girl was coming out! I just couldn't say anything! And then he just went back inside like it was no big deal!"

Isabella began crying into my shoulder, with her legs draped over mine. Was that all? She had lost her nerve again. All because she saw a girl leaving the apartment. But this was news to me. If it were somebody for work reasons, wouldn't I know about it? And even if this woman were a friend, wouldn't Phineas have introduced her to the gang already? Could it be that my seemingly clueless brother was hooking up with women in our apartment when I was out? Oh god, I didn't even want to know.

I suddenly realized how close Isabella was to me when I felt her hair tickling my neck. And for some reason, I didn't want her in my lap anymore. It was making this situation uncomfortable.

"Isabella," I said. I gently moved her off, and turned her head to face me. I gently wiped two parallel tears that were running down her cheeks off. "Phineas didn't actually do anything. You just saw an acquaintance leaving. Why are you crying so much?" I gently asked.

Isabella took a deep breath and flopped back onto the sofa. "You're right Ferb. This isn't really Phineas' fault. I just started crying because of… well, I guess because of the conversation I had with the Fireside Girls today."

What did they do? I guess Isabella saw I was curious, because she continued. "They said I should be off having fun, but I kept defending Phineas. It just sucks because it looks like he's off having fun after all."

She groaned. I gently patted her hand. She smiled at me. "I guess it doesn't matter. He's not married to this chick or anything." Oh, deathblow to my heart right there, even if she didn't know it. Because Vanessa was getting married to her suitor. "Anyway, how did your special thing go?" She asked. At least she had perked up a little. Which was great, because I was feeling down again.

"I don't want to talk about it." I muttered.

"Why?" She stared at me with her big blue eyes. "Did something go wrong?" I nodded. "Oh, Ferb, tell me."

"She's engaged." I sighed. "She didn't want my flowers or to come to dinner. She basically wants me to stay away until I'm okay with being 'just friends'."

Isabella sighed too. "I'm sorry. Who was the girl anyway?"

"Vanessa." I whispered.

"Still?" She exclaimed. I glared at her. "I mean…"

"I know what you mean." I said.

"Ferb, really, I shouldn't be talking. I've been going after the same guy for years, and it's not working out so great." Isabella exclaimed. "I'm really lonely most of the time."

I nodded. I was too.

Suddenly she let out a little giggle. "Do you know what the girls said I should do? It's absurd! I wonder if they'd give you the same advice?"

"What?" I asked, curiously.

"They said that I need to become 'friends with benefits' with somebody, so I can, I don't know, screw around, until Phineas realizes he likes me. Isn't that ridiculous?" She said laughing.

I nodded. I was smiling too. The thought of squeaky-clean little Isabella sleeping around with anybody other than Phineas was ridiculous. Even with Phineas it was kind of ridiculous. "So with me it would be the same thing, except I'd be waiting on Vanessa?" I asked jokingly.

"Yup." We were both laughing. "'Friends with Benefits'. It doesn't get any wackier than that." She said.

"Who would be your 'friend'?" I asked. "Baljeet?"

"No!" She playfully whacked me. "He's dating one of my best friends! What about you? Gretchen?"

"Please remove ex-girlfriends from the menu." I replied.

"If it was Adyson, I'd be irritated with both of you." She said.

"What about Irving?" I teased.

"Ewww!" She exclaimed, though she was still laughing.

"Yeah. Maybe we'd just be better off with each other." I joked.

About a second after it left my mouth, we froze up. Shit, why did I just say that? This is why I'm normally the quiet one. I just wanted to cheer her up. I broke the silence with an awkward little laugh, which she returned. She was playing with her hair in a nervous way.

I stood up and gestured that I was leaving. I hurried to her door with my head down.

"Wait, you don't have to go." She said quietly. Oh yes I did. The awkwardness was nearly tangible.

But I found myself turning and going back to her. She was standing up too. She looked like she was thinking. I just stood there, rocking back and forth on my heels.

"That… that really is a ridiculous idea the girls came up with, isn't it?" She said quietly. I nodded. "I don't know why I couldn't get it out of my head all day. Do you think that being with a guy other than Phineas would help?"

Honestly, it could. Then she wouldn't be so desperate all the time when it came to Phineas. Is it the same with Vanessa and me? I am sort of desperate… and lonely. I nodded again.

"Yeah," she said awkwardly.

Ok, that was it! We were moving into another danger zone, and I was officially leaving. I opened the door and stepped into the hallway. I was going to close it when Isabella stuck her foot in the door.

"Wait!" She said. I was staring at a very flustered Isabella again. "I'm only going to ask this once." She said. She closed her eyes tightly and she started babbling very quickly. "After the girls talked to me I couldn't get the idea out of my head but I couldn't think of the right guy to ask so I put it out of my mind but then you came and you're kind of in the same situation so would you like to be Friends with Benefits with me?"

"What?" I asked. I vaguely followed her rambling, but I'm positive I couldn't have heard the last part right.

"Would… you… like… to… be… Friends… with… Benefits… with… me?" She asked again tentatively.

Wow. I had to have been the reason we got to this point. I did basically suggest myself. But how could I answer this? What if Phineas did like Isabella? I'd be in a lot of trouble if he found out. But that was Isabella's whole mission. We'd definitely keep it as secret as possible. But I loved Vanessa, not Isabella. But she was engaged. And I was just as sick-minded and needy as every other man. And Isabella was exceptionally attractive… perfect figure and skin, lovely hair, beautiful face, and those big blue eyes. I can't believe I was going to do this.

"Umm, yes, Isabella." I stammered. "I believe we could make this work. With some ground rules."

"Right. Rule 1: WE NEVER TELL ANYONE! Especially Phineas." She said.

"Rule 2: We stick to physical relations. Meaning no obligatory dates or presents or anniversaries." I could not have Vanessa or anybody else thinking I was dating Isabella. That could only lead to problems.

Isabella nodded. "Rule 3: Absolutely no strings attached! As in, we're free to stop and pursue others as soon as we want too." Just a fancy way for her to say she'd drop me as soon as Phineas shows her any attention. Whatever.

"No strings." I nodded "And rule 4: We stay friends. No matter how this turns out." I said. Isabella nodded vigorously. I needed Isabella as my friend. I just… needed her. It was different from my friendships with all the boys.

"So…" She said, rocking back and forth on her feet. I just stood there awkwardly. "Should we start tonight?" She asked. Well, we did both have pretty crummy days, romantically speaking. I nodded slowly. "Okay… come to my place… after dinner."

God, what were we doing! Isabella and I aren't even going to know HOW to be friends with benefits, much less actually pull it off.

Isabella pulled her foot out of the doorway, and shut it without saying anything else. I was probably sweating. I opened the door to my apartment to see Phineas on the couch watching TV.

"Hey, Ferb!" He said smiling. I wanted to ask about his "mistress", but I was too busy worrying about Isabella becoming mine. "What should we do tonight?"

I couldn't tell him that I think I'm doing Isabella tonight.

* * *

**Wow, I can't even believe I just wrote that. But I kind of like the story; look how long this chapter is! Well, it looks like this is the first ever M rated Ferbella fanfiction. You have been warned.**


	3. OMG with my FWB

**Thanks for the reviews! Ok, now here's where it gets M. This is my first "lemon" so it's probably really bad. Also, I tried to keep it clean, if that makes sense. It's like, non-overly-descriptive, if that makes sense. Barely a lemon. More like lemon flavored toothpaste: clean but lemony. Of course, citric acid is bad for teeth. Whatever... please review, just to tell me how this was.**

* * *

I had been pacing back and forth for so long I was beginning to think the floor was going to give out. And I just couldn't stop. There had really been no point in asking him to come over after dinner because I had barely eaten anything. The only thing I could think of was… is he actually coming over?

I clutched my mug tighter. Hot chocolate would've put me to sleep and coffee would've had me up till morning, so I was drinking tea. Of course, I had already had about four mugs, so I might be up till dawn anyway. At least it would keep me from feeling hungry.

I put my mug down on a table. I noticed I was basically shaking. Oh my god, oh my god… why did I even ask him? It was his fault; he suggested himself. It was the girls' fault; they came up with the idea. It was Phineas' fault; he drove me to this. Ohhh… Isabella, get a hold of yourself!

I went into the bathroom and splashed myself in the face with some cold water. After I wiped it with a towel, I stood back and looked at myself in the mirror. Hmm… I was wearing a tight three-quarter sleeve gray shirt and fluffy pink pajama pants with puppies on them, with my hair in a loose ponytail. My typical sleep apparel. But suddenly it seemed really stupid. Puppies? Really? I should've tried harder than this. I should be wearing some of that fancy lingerie from magazines. I peeked under my shirt… a boring skin-colored bra. And I'm pretty sure my underwear is navy blue. Great, so I'm mismatched. I need to go change!

Oh my god, oh my god… wait a minute! I mentally slapped myself. The whole point of this was that Ferb was just a friend and he wasn't going to judge me. And nobody was forcing me to do this. I made the decision myself, and he agreed. I wasn't supposed to be stressing tonight. Tonight, I was supposed to have fun.

Somebody knocked at the door and I almost leapt ten feet in the air. It was Ferb! It had to be!

I quickly walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. Yup, it was Ferb all right. He was just waiting in the hall nonchalantly. He was just wearing some gray sweatpants and one of those white undershirt-like T-shirts. Okay, Ferb was dressed just like me. If I get so nervous with just Ferb, how am I ever going to get this far with Phineas? Come on, Izzy, you can do this! I took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Hey." I said. Ferb gave me half a smile and a faint wave, but he didn't seem to want to make eye contact. "You… you actually came." I said nervously.

He lifted his head. "Maybe I should just go…"

"NO!" I said loudly, cutting him off. He stared at me in surprise. And I was blushing again. Man, I must sound so desperate. "Come on in."

He followed me into my apartment, as I shut the door behind him. He had been in my apartment before, but he was still looking around as if he hadn't. "Umm, make yourself at home." I said.

I plopped down on the couch and he silently sat down next to me. Oh, why was he so quiet? "We could just watch TV for a little while." I suggested.

He stared at me with those all-knowing Ferb eyes. "Isabella…"

Oh no, I knew that tone! He was going to say something like "this is wrong" or "you're not ready" or "wait for Phineas, he'll come around". No, I was done with Ferb's little lectures! We had both agreed to this, and we were going to follow through!

"Come on!" I stood up and grabbed his hand. "Bedroom time!" I tugged him along to my room, flung the door open, and kind of pushed him on the bed. I slammed the door closed, pulled out my ponytail holder, and wildly shook my hair loose. I hope my craziness was turning him on, because acting dramatic was helping me get through this.

I sat down next to him. "So…" I mumbled awkwardly. When we went through ground rules, we never mentioned what we'd actually be doing. "Maybe we should… kiss?" I suggested. I had never kissed Ferb. I had never even thought about kissing Ferb. But if I was going to sleep with him, I'm thinking kissing would be involved.

Ferb smiled that little half-smile again, gently brushed my runaway hair off my face, and began moving towards me. Oh my god.

His lips met mine, and he kissed me very softly. And I gently pressed back. Aww, Ferb! He was so sweet. This was such a sweet little kiss, the kind he would probably give his girlfriend all the time. Vanessa didn't know what she was missing. But I wasn't his girlfriend, I was his FWB. So I started kissing back a little harder, more aggressively. And he did too. And suddenly I was frenching Ferb with him on top of me. And I was running out of air.

I broke away, gasping a little. Ok, so maybe I was wrong about Ferb being all sugar and no spice. That didn't mean I didn't like spice either. He was staring at me. I pulled him back on me and kept kissing him.

"Ok… now… what… Ferb?" I asked, getting only one word out between each kiss. He didn't say anything. He just moved to kiss my cheek, and then move on to my neck. I moaned. "Okay, neck next." He was kissing it. Somehow, he managed to find all the sensitive spots and lightly nibble at them.

"Wait, Ferb." I said, sitting up. He sat up too. "No hickeys." I warned. He nodded. I suddenly felt very hot, and that reminded me that we were both still in our pajamas. Oh boy, I think I knew what the next step was.

"I think we, uh, need to start," I gestured to my body. I wasn't sure what to say. "Undressing."

Ferb nodded. Eeek! What was I supposed to do? I noticed he was taking off his shirt and pants by himself, so I guess I should do the same. I peeled my clothes off my body. Yup, navy blue panties. I probably looked really stupid.

I peeked back over at Ferb. He was sitting there, in his boxers, waiting for me. I gulped and laid down on the bed. "Okay, Ferb." I said. "I'm ready."

He crawled over to me, and was back on top of me, looking down. Awkwardness. "Umm," I stammered. "You were hiding a hot body under there all these years, Ferb." It was true. He was super muscular and, dare I say it, sexy. I guess Phineas was right when he said Ferb's been working out. "How do I look?" I joked.

"You're beautiful." He said. He didn't say it in a loving way, or a flirty way, or even in a friendly way. He said it as if it were a fact. As if everyone in the world knew it.

"Thank you." I said awkwardly. "What… what's next?" As if I didn't know. There were just a few flimsy bits of fabric separating me from Ferb. And I was freaking out. "This… this is fun and all, right Ferb?" I stammered.

"Isabella…"

"Don't give me that stupid knowing tone, Fletcher!" I shouted angrily. "We agreed we were going to fuck, so let's just do it already!" The second it came out of my mouth, I realized how loud it was. "You… you don't think anyone heard that, do you?" I whispered.

Ferb's eyes were twinkling and the corners of his cheeks were about to turn. "Oh my god!" I said, as I sat up. "You're laughing at me, aren't you?" I was trying to sound angry, but I was smiling too.

He put both hands on my shoulders. "Isabella, RELAX. This is supposed to be at least somewhat enjoyable."

I giggled. "Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely enjoying it. I'm just a little nervous."

"Don't be." He said.

"Why weren't you talking the whole time, you jerk?" I asked playfully. "You liked listening to me stammer like a fool?"

He shrugged but he was smiling. I laughed, but then bit at my lip. Because for the first time all night, Ferb was REALLY turning me on. Just by, well, being Ferb.

"Ferb, if you still want to… you know." I said. "I think I'm ready. But I'm still really nervous."

"Just relax. You can close your eyes if you want to." He replied.

"Ok." I began gently kissing him again, and his arms snaked around my back, unhooking my bra. Oh my god, oh my god, wait Isabella, just relax.

I laid my head on the pillow with Ferb hovering over me. He only gently skimmed my chest with his hands, making me moan. His hands were sliding lower.

"I'm closing my eyes now!" I shrieked.

I was naked. He had slid my panties right off of me. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.

I felt Ferb kiss my cheek. "Are you ready?" He whispered. I nodded and he kissed it again.

And then… and then… well, I'm not even sure what was happening. I was screaming and moaning all sorts of things that would normally never EVER come out of my mouth. Swears, and commands, but mostly Ferb's name, over and over. Ferb was making some little grunting noises and my stupid old bed was squeaking so loudly I swear we were going to break it. My eyes were squeezed tight the whole time. But when it hit me, I swear I was seeing stars. My brain had just popped and I was dead. And it felt amazing.

Only when Ferb rolled off of me did I open my eyes. I stared at the ceiling and listened to the quiet pants from both of us. I think I was familiar enough with Ferb's silent communication that I could tell we were both thinking the same thing.

Oh my god!

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**There we go, that wasn't so bad, was it? What happens now that Ferb and Isabella are officially FWBs? Well, more awkwardness for sure...**

**-Silver**


	4. It's Official

**Sorry for a late update; I had two unofficial family reunions in one weekend. I swear I walked in fine and then left with a Jersey accent from one side and an Indian accent from the other side. Response to the last chapter was pretty good. Thanks!**

**-Silver**

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"Ferb! FERB!"

Uggh. I opened one eye slowly. My face was more than half buried in my pillow and I didn't really feel like getting up. But I couldn't sleep with that constant knocking at my door.

"Come on Ferb, time to get up buddy!" Phineas called.

Phineas. Huh, that's funny, for some reason, I was thinking it was… Isabella!

I shot up from my slumber. Isabella. Right, because last night we… I… she… we both… together… oh God.

It feels so distant. As if it never happened. The fact that I snuck back over to my apartment, and woke up in my own bed, makes it feel even more surreal. I could say it was a dream. But it wasn't. I know it wasn't.

"Ferb!" Phineas barged into my room. "Wake up! We're going out for breakfast, so get dressed!"

Why? I gave him a quizzical look.

"Because I feel like it, that's why!" He said. "I felt like a big old breakfast buffet before I do anything today!"

I shook my head as I got out of bed. He's so weird.

"I invited the gang too. Buford, Baljeet, and he's bringing Ginger, and Isabella, of course!"

Shoot, I thought I'd be able to avoid her for a little longer than a couple hours before we saw each other again. I guess not.

"Come on, bro!" Phineas scampered out of the room with a smile on his face. I smiled too. He's still like a little kid, all sweet and innocent.

I went to the bathroom and started brushing my teeth. But if Phin is so innocent and oblivious, why did he have a girl leaving the apartment? And if he isn't innocent and oblivious, then why doesn't he like Isabella the way she likes him? They aren't a lost cause, are they? They can't be; Isabella and Phineas were made for each other.

And in comes the guilt. I can still smell her perfume or something faintly on me. I can't pinpoint what scent it is, but it's extremely tantalizing. Whoa, I can't let this new… thing I have with Isabella mess those two up. And who knows? Maybe Phineas will come to his senses, they'll end up together, Vanessa will realize how deep her feelings for me really are, and Monty will fall off a cliff. Or maybe that's pushing it.

Anyway, I was dressed and so was Phineas, so we headed out of the apartment. He turned to me. "I'm going downstairs to grab the guys. Then we'll go pick up Ginger and go to the restaurant. You two meet us in the lobby."

Two? So that meant… why Phineas, why? He went to the elevators alone, leaving me there, in front of her door. I didn't know what to do, so I just loudly rapped my knuckles on her door.

I just barely heard a loud yawn and someone say "Coming." through the door. I suddenly didn't feel ready to see Isabella again, although it wasn't like I could bolt out of here or anything.

The door opened and there she was. She was back in her pajamas, but the whole outfit looked askew, almost falling off of her slim little figure. And her hair was a wild crazy mess. She told me before that her hair gets very frizzy but I think that I may have helped get it to this stage.

"Ferb!" She gasped. "Umm, hey." She said awkwardly. "What's up?"

"An invitation to breakfast with your close friends." I said. "From Phineas Flynn himself." I winked at her.

"Really?" Her face broke out into a smile. "I'll go get ready." She turned and headed towards her closet without closing the front door, so I followed.

"Isabella, what if Phineas had knocked on the door?" I said quietly. "You don't exactly look like you spent the whole night fast asleep."

"What!" She stuck her head out of the closet. "Are you saying that you think I'm going to blow the secret?" She asked indignantly.

"Well…"

"Ferb! You aren't exactly being subtle either. Did you check your hair?" She asked.

I shook my head no and she held up a hand mirror. Shit! I had the worst case of sex hair meets bed head that had ever existed! How did Phineas not notice this?

Isabella was smirking at me. "See. Although, umm, I guess it's kind of my fault." And we're back in the awkward zone. "I'll change." She muttered. She tossed me a hairbrush and she left the room.

Were Isabella and I going to be like this forever? It didn't matter whether or not we stayed friends with benefits; it was the fact that there was no going back to normal now that we had started.

Isabella reappeared, dressed to go with now sleek hair. We walked to the elevator and rode down, but neither of us said anything. I didn't like it. My friends were very chatty, which helps even out my own silence. I couldn't stop feeling anxiety. Oh no! A thought suddenly occurred to me.

"Isabella, last night," I muttered. "We didn't use any protection."

"Yeah, I, I have it covered, Ferb." She mumbled.

I nodded slowly. I made it even more awkward. Thank goodness the door opened.

"There you guys are!" said Phineas. "Ferb, why are you such a slow poke today?"

"I just took a while Phineas." Isabella muttered. "Anyway," She said, brightening up. "Whatcha' doin'?"

"Well, we're going out to breakfast and I can share some of the ideas Ferb and I are planning to do for the next couple of weeks." Phineas suggested. He smiled. "I love it when we all hang out; one big happy gang of friends!"

Isabella seemed to cringe with those words. We were just a mess, both of us, in our own hopeless romances. I hope she doesn't feel too bad.

"Yo dweebs, are we leaving or not?" said Buford.

"Yeah, come on." Said Phineas.

"Just don't stick me with the lovebirds. They sicken me." Buford replied.

I felt my face turning red until I realized that he meant Baljeet and Ginger, who were holding hands and talking not too far away. Ha, it was stupid for me to even think he meant well, Isabella and me.

"But they're such a great couple!" Phineas exclaimed. I swear Isabella looked ready to kill him.

I hurriedly got everyone out of the building and to the restaurant without any conflict. Since it was a buffet, we jumped into line and began filling our plates with various breakfast.

"Phineas, this place is sooo nice!" Isabella cooed, in another attempt to flirt with him.

"Isn't it though?" He said brightly. "It's so simple. I love buffets; they're really quite a masterful thing; combining tasty food with the convenience of getting it yourself. Ferb, make a note of the ingredients and dishes they serve. It'll help if we ever want to do this ourselves. In fact…"

I watched Isabella's face droop as Phineas began rambling. This happens every time, I swear. Poor thing. I can understand her desperation, but at least Vanessa acknowledges my affection. But maybe that's what hurts more; the fact that she knows about it but still doesn't reciprocate it.

Ginger, who had been whispering away to Baljeet this whole time, suddenly stood up. "I'm going to the bathroom. Isabella, do you need to come?"

Buford groaned. "Why is it that girls can never go to the bathroom by themselves?"

"No thanks, Ginger, I'm good." Isabella said glumly.

"Ok." Ginger left.

"Hey, I have to go the can too." Buford said. "Come with me." He grabbed Baljeet's head and pulled him along.

I rolled my eyes. Byoof's such a hypocrite.

"Well, I'm going back for more food." Phineas said. "Might as well go all out and stuff myself!" He said, laughing as he left.

And then there were two. She was sitting there, still upset, when she noticed it was just us. Once she did, it instantly became awkward again. She was playing with her hands, hair, arms, anything to distract herself. Meanwhile, I was whistling to myself. But I felt awful. This couldn't go on. The most important rule was that we stay friends, and we couldn't if it was going to always be this uncomfortable.

"Isabella," I began. "I don't think the deal we made last night is going to work out."

"Why not?" She seemed very surprised, and even very upset.

"Well, it's just been so uneasy between us since last night. Even before and during last night. Just ask yourself, is it worth it?" I said.

"Yes!" I was a little shocked by her sudden outburst. "I mean," she stammered. "It isn't worth losing our friendship. But this was only the first night. I think we're mature enough to handle this without messing up anything important. I mean, I just, Phineas today…" She sounded very flustered and embarrassed.

"But do you even want to?" I asked. "I mean," I gulped. "Was it pleasurable?"

She chuckled nervously. "Was it…" She stammered. "Well, to be perfectly honest, Ferb," she slid down in her chair a little. Oh man. "That was absolutely the best sex I ever had."

Was she joking? Or trying to kiss up to me or something?

Isabella was still talking, but almost to herself. "I never thought that we would ever do something like this. I must be crazy, but I absolutely want to, I have to, do it again. The best. Ever."

She caught me staring at her and blushed tomato red, although I probably looked the same. "How was I?" she asked timidly. I playfully shrugged. Her mouth dropped open, though she was smiling. "FERB!" She said indignantly.

"You were brilliant Isabella." I said. "And it was incredible."

"Thank you." She said sweetly. I turned away from her for a minute to take a bite of food when I saw she was staring at me out of the corner of my eye. She was biting at her lip again, the way she did last night. It was certainly… titillating.

"Umm, so do you know when you want to do it again?" She asked nonchalantly.

I shrugged. "I don't know. How about…"

"Tonight." She said quickly. She shook her head. "Or, umm, any other night, what's good for you?"

"Tonight is fine." I stammered. Isabella seemed very eager, which was surprising. After all, I was no Phineas.

"Ok," She said, smiling. "You can come over and hang out and then we can umm…" She locked her fingers together, and then pulled them apart. "And then you can leave."

I nodded slowly. I'm feeling as though Isabella and I have lost our minds.

"So this is official now, right?" She said. "Being friends with benefits?" She whispered.

"Right." I whispered.

"You guys having fun without me?" Phineas suddenly and loudly said.

Isabella smiled a sneaky little smile. "A lot of fun."

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**P.S. Check for typos. Also review! And PM if you have any good ideas for this story!**


	5. Strings and Things

**Serving another baby portion of watered down lemonade in this chapter. I know you readers are out there. I can hear you breathing. So review please!**

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I was waiting for him again. This time though, I wasn't a frazzled mess. I was sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels, not really caring what was on. I was in a nightgown this time. I'm definitely the kind of girl who loves wearing babyish nightgowns to bed. I don't know why; maybe I've just been clinging to this idea that I must be adorable my whole life. But look where that's got me; I'm unemployed and single.

I heard the knock again. I tiptoed to the door and opened it. "Hey, again." I said. Ferb just strolled right in. I shut the door behind him. "You wanna… get right to it, or what?" I asked. Ferb shrugged, then coughed. "I'll get you some water, Ferb." I said.

As I hurried into the kitchen, Ferb sat down on the couch. I walked back over to him with two cups of water. He seemed to be interested in the show. It was on whatever channel I had left it on, maybe the science channel or something.

"Whatcha' watchin'?" I asked as I sat down next to him.

He pulled up the TV guide with the remote. It was something on string theory. He exited and kept watching. Uggh. This is the problem with my friends being so smart. Actually, Buford complains about it too. It annoys us both when Phineas, Ferb, and Baljeet pull out their calculators and geek out together.

I stared blankly at the screen for a while as the host blathered on in physics terms I don't understand. This isn't what I meant when I said we would hang out for a bit. "Ferb, I don't get this at all." I said. "What are they talking about?"

"String theory." He replied. He turned to me. "String theory is based around the notion that we live in a universe of eleven dimensions. Some examples of dimensions are up and down, left and right, and even time. In order for this to work, all known particles, electrons and such, are not mere points that can only move in single directions, but wound strings, that can oscillate in all eleven dimensions."

I was barely following him. "So, umm, the world is made of strings?"

He nodded as if I knew what I was talking about. "But it's highly controversial. In this day and age, string theory has been disregarded by most. It's nearly impossible to properly test without problems occurring."

"Why don't you and your brother test it then?" I asked.

He gave a thoughtful little smile. "Perhaps we will."

I smiled too. We were just looking at each other, with the TV echoing in the background.

"Ferb." I whispered.

He shook his head, shaking himself back into reality. He flipped the TV off, stood up, and offered his hand to me. I gently took it and stood up. As we walked to my bedroom, I noticed we hadn't let go of each other's hand.

I sat down on the bed and cringed at the squeak it made. "Umm… sit." I said.

He obeyed my command and sat down next to me, with a slightly louder squeak. He took my hands again in his, and gently caressed them. They're perfectly dry, while mine are sweaty and clammy. I feel almost positive Ferb never gets nervous, but I could be wrong. They feel sort of rough, probably from all the manual labor he does. Poor baby!

Whoa, where did that come from? Suddenly that word pranced across my mind, and it wasn't supposed to be there. Because calling a guy "baby" was most definitely a girlfriend thing to do. I wasn't supposed to be doing girlfriend-y things. That went against Rule 2. Isabella, I scolded myself, you sleep with a guy one time and suddenly you're acting like he's your boyfriend. You should be ashamed of yourself! What about Phineas? But if I wanted to stay loyal to Phineas, I wouldn't be sleeping with his brother.

"Isabella, are you alright?" Ferb suddenly asked me. I had been staring into space like an idiot.

"Yeah, I was just… thinking." I muttered. "Let's just… you know."

Ferb gently stroked my head and gently kissed me again. Ferb! If he keeps this up, I'm going to look awfully slutty compared to how sweet he is. I kept crawling towards him, pushing him back, until I was kissing him with me on top this time. I kept going, not even wanting to break our kiss. I had to admit, Ferb was a really good kisser. And that wasn't all he was good at. Suddenly, I felt his hands run across my stomach and I jumped a little.

"Sorry!" I said, embarrassed.

He gave me a funny look. "Are you ticklish, Isabella?"

I blushed. "Yeah, a little." Ferb looked fairly amused by this. "Oh great, now you're going to use this against me at some point, aren't you?" I said. "Why don't you tell me a secret about you?" I asked.

Ferb leaned really close to me, so close I could feel his warm breath on me. His lips were right next to my ear. "I… don't want to."

"Ferb!" I squealed. We were both laughing. "I can't believe you! I bet nobody else knows how you can be so… so…" I couldn't find the words I was looking for. Not while he was staring at me. I tilted my head at him. "I think people assume you've got something to hide when you're very quiet. Nobody thinks that when you're loud and obnoxious." I said. He was scooting close to me again. "I have a secret for tonight, Ferb." I whispered. "No bra."

It took maybe a second after I said that for us to start kissing again. Ferb laid me down on my back. His lips moved down to my neck and collarbone again. He pulled down one of my sleeves, exposing my shoulder.

"See?" I said. I suddenly had a giddy feeling in my gut.

"I see." He murmured into my neck, as he nuzzled it.

He stopped for a moment to pull off his shirt and pants. And I didn't feel any of the flustered feelings I had yesterday. All I felt was… eager.

Ferb was back on top of me, kissing me again. I found my hands tangled up in his hair. I don't know why, but I did it last time too. I gently broke away. "Wait, now you have to tell me a secret about tonight." I said. He didn't say anything. "Well? Anything! About what you're wearing, about how you feel, anything!"

"Okay," He said, while stroking my hair. "I think you look adorable tonight in that nightgown. Reminds me of when we were younger."

"That's it?" I asked.

"Well, I was going to mention my intense desire to rip it off your body, but I felt that may be a tad on the uncouth side."

I felt myself gaping at him. Ferb smiled a small, naughty smile. I smiled my own wicked little smile. "Go for it." I whispered.

I ran my hands in his hair, kissing him again, as I heard the loud tear of the strings of my nightgown being ripped by Ferb's strong hands. And I was enjoying it.

When we broke away after that, my dress was falling off my body, so I just pulled it off and tossed it aside. At this point, I just ridiculously wanted Ferb. We both pulled off our underwear as fast as we could.

He didn't start though. He just hovered over me, asking permission with his eyes. And I would bet a million dollars he was going to ask permission almost every time. I just desperately nodded and kissed him again. We were once again just a tangled mess of limbs, rocking my bed and moaning. But this time, it's so much better. Because I'm not a nervous mess. I'm enjoying myself. Enjoying him.

I didn't want him to leave afterwards. We were done. My heart wasn't racing at a million miles per hour and I felt calm. But I felt even calmer in Ferb's arms. And I didn't want him to leave. But that went against what we had set up. I'm not so worried about messing up my friendship with Ferb or my chances with Phineas any more. I'm worried I'm going to get attached to Ferb.

"What are you thinking about?" I whispered.

"Nothing. The universe. Work tomorrow. You." He replied.

I didn't know how to respond to that. "Do you like your job Ferb?" I sensed a slight nod. "I need a job, Ferb. I feel useless. My only job is… waiting on Phineas."

"So start searching." He made it all sound so simple.

"Do you have everything figured out Ferb?" I asked.

"No." He replied. "Not life. Not death. Not miracles. Not love. And definitely not this." He glanced at me, and then sat up. He got off the bed and was walking towards the exit.

"Ferb," I called out. "Do you believe in string theory?"

He looked back towards me, and after a long pause, shrugged. Then he walked out of my bedroom and the apartment.

I flopped back on my bed. I felt like screaming when it squeaked again. I closed my eyes tight and ran as many thoughts as I could through my head. My parents, Pinky, my first patch, rainbows, unicorns, dresses, Buford, Baljeet, the girls, Phineas, especially Phineas, just trying to get Ferb out of my head. Ok, I still loved Phineas Flynn with all my heart. And the most I felt for his brother was a complex mixture of friendship and attraction, and the second half was purely because Ferb was handsome and good in bed. Ferb and I had no feelings for each other and no strings attached to each other. But, if everything is really made of strings, then my point is null and void.


	6. Sparks

**Where did we leave off? Oh yeah, Isabella is thinking a little bit too much about Ferb...**

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I had a massive headache. I mentioned it to Phineas and he went into a paranoid "Mama Bird" mode, and told me to stay at home and relax today. That was fine by me. For some reason, I don't feel like I'm quite my normal self. So I went with this supposed sick day.

I was trying to figure out what was wrong with me. And I couldn't. The one thing that had changed was my new and bizarre arrangement with Isabella. It was wrong, in so many ways. As if we had totally destroyed reality itself. I don't even know what got into me last time.

I was just sitting peacefully on the couch, with the television on mute and some books lying open. I wasn't reading or watching anything though. It would only intensify my headache.

I found my eyes flicking to the telephone, sitting on the table. There was only one person I was desperate to call. I wondered if I should. I never like speaking on the phone. People can't see hand signals or read my face over the phone. But I picked it up and dialed anyway. Please pick up, please pick up…

"Hey there! You've reached… come on baby…"

"I don't wanna."

"Please?"

"Ugh. Vanessa Doofensmirtz,"

"And Monty Monogram. Please leave a message after the beep."

"Whatever."

I slammed the phone back on the receiver. I couldn't take it! This was literally killing me. Now this guy has gone and taken over her answering machine? Her apartment? Her life? Vanessa was always meant for me, and only me! Was this Monty guy going to come in the way of that? He was going to have to be a hell of a fighter to make it out alive. I felt like storming down there right now, except I know no one's home.

I was glowering and steaming and my headache was getting worse when I heard a knock at the door. I got up and opened it to see my long time neighbor again.

"Ferb!" Isabella gasped. I wonder if she's always going to be nervous and embarrassed around me after we have sex. I didn't say anything. I just stepped back to make enough room for her to come inside the apartment.

"Is, umm, Phineas here?" She asked nervously.

"He's at work." I replied.

A half-smile came to her face. "Actually, that's what I wanted to tell him. And you!" She hurriedly added. She smiled a confident little smile. "I got a job."

I smiled back. Good for Isabella. She was doing something entirely on her own.

Isabella continued. "It's just a corporate thing. You know, starting at the bottom of a big company." She walked into the apartment and sat down on the couch. I quickly followed after her. "You know, like busy worker bees in a hive."

I didn't say or do anything. I was just watching her and listening. But my head didn't hurt quite as much anymore. Isabella sat and fiddled with her thumbs. I would break the silence but I had nothing to say.

"Stop staring at me Ferb." Isabella said. "I feel like I'm under a microscope!"

"Sorry." I muttered and looked away from her.

Isabella loudly groaned and tugged at her hair. "Why couldn't Phineas have just been here?"

I tilted my head at her. Something was wrong with Isabella.

She caught me staring at her again. "Stop looking at me Ferb!" She growled.

"What's the matter?" I asked Isabella.

"Love and sex are two very different things, right?" She suddenly said.

I cautiously nodded.

"And you love Vanessa, right? You'd pick her over anybody, you want to be together forever, etc., right?"

I had to think about that. Only recently, I'd stated I didn't know for sure if I was in love with Vanessa. But now, all I could think of was getting her back from the man who had stolen her away. But what was love anyway?

I said nothing. I looked into the girl's pleading big blue eyes and didn't give her whatever answer she wanted to hear. I didn't give her any answer at all.

Isabella waited those few beats for my answer, but then kept talking. "I love Phineas! I love him! I've loved him my whole life!"

I felt like asking her how she knew that. I didn't know if I loved Vanessa. How could Isabella know she was in love with a boy as oblivious as my brother?

"And umm, what we're doing, that's sex. Just raw, primal, emotionless sex. No feelings involved."

I nodded extremely slowly. I didn't like how this conversation was going. Not one bit. She had used way too much unnecessary emphasis when she said she loved Phineas. As if she was desperately trying to convince me of it. Or herself. I'm feeling extremely terrified that Isabella might be in love with me.

"I… I wanna… test something." Isabella said slowly.

And suddenly she grabbed my face and pulled it to hers. And she kissed me. I don't know for how long, but it felt like an eternity. When she finally pulled away, I needed air. But my headache was totally gone. As if it had only occurred because of a lack of Isabella.

"So…" Isabella said. "Did you feel anything?"

I raised one eyebrow up at her.

"You know," She said. "Did you feel tingly? Any sparks? Any emotions at all? Anything unusual? Feelings you wouldn't get just because we're going to have sex?"

"Well," I scratched my head. "No."

"Really?" She asked. I nodded. She smiled in relief. "Me either."

Isabella seemed about a thousand times calmer now. "Yup, no sparks. Because we're just friends." She stood up to go. "Ferb, can we still… you know… our arrangement?"

I nodded. Yup, it looked like I would still be sleeping with Isabella.

She blushed, but smiled softly. "Okay, I'll… I'll text when's the next time you should come. Bye Ferb!" She said, as she shut the door.

I had this awful, scummy feeling. I felt like such a lowly man, who would give in to making arrangements purely for sex. I felt like a psychopath because of the anger I felt when I thought about Monty and Vanessa. I felt like a traitor for doing all this behind Phineas' back. And worst of all, I felt like a fraud. Because when Isabella had candidly asked me if I felt any sparks when I kissed her… I lied.

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**OMG. Well, now what's gonna happen? Please review!**


	7. It's Super Complicated

**Okay, okay, I'm doing my best to get my stories written and updated. I'm still gonna be busy for a few weeks, so don't get your expectations sky-high. Shout out to all the Guests reading and reviewing. Authors all appreciate you.**

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The days seemed to be flying by. What seemed like just yesterday, when I was innocent and unemployed, was actually a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't believe how fast time was going. I wasn't crazy about my new desk job. It made the days seem very long and boring. I had only made one friend there, Kyle, a nice guy, but a huge flirt. He was very cute in a Jeremy kind of way. If I wasn't so preoccupied with my own boy problems, I would consider asking him out.

I had made zero progress on the Phineas front. I hadn't gotten him to notice me, and I was too chicken to ask about the mysterious blonde I had seen a while ago. And as far as me and Ferb went, well, our arrangement was working out perfectly. We were still friends and we were reaping the benefits. All the time.

Ferb was a regular at my place. I was no longer shy or scared around him. When we were together we laughed and joked and… flirted. That was pretty much what we were doing. And I was lying to myself. Because I most definitely felt something every time I kissed him. The bottom line was that I was attracted to Ferb in almost every way.

But I wasn't in love with him. I was in love with Phineas Flynn, the optimistic adorable inventor. The problem was that the more attracted I felt to Ferb, the more addicted I became to him. There would be times in the day when I suddenly craved his scent; a light cologne, Irish soap, and motor oil. And on days that came after nights where I didn't hook up with my special friend, I was just awful. Cranky and nasty. And then Ferb would come over that night, and run his hands through my hair, and I'd melt back into my old self.

I was sitting at my desk right now, mulling over it. Could I possibly have a real problem? Was this just, like, sex addiction, or something? I wonder how similar that is to what I'm feeling right now. I felt tempted to just look it up. But a loud voice behind me stopped me from doing anything humiliating.

It was Kyle. "Hey hey, Isabella!"

"Don't you have your own work to be doing?" I falsely scolded.

"I just wanted to 'check' on our newer employees." He said.

"Uh-huh, sure." I said, turning back to the computer. I feel like he was trying to flirt with me, but that was not going to happen. Another guy for the friend zone.

Kyle came and looked around my desk. "Don't break or touch anything." I warned.

"Relax. Hey, who are those guys?" He pointed to one of my favorite pictures. It was the boys, Phineas on my right, Ferb on my left, and me with our arms wrapped around each and big smiles.

"Phineas," I pointed him out. "And Ferb. I love this picture. It was the last summer before we graduated from college. Our last summer as unofficial kids."

"Huh," Kyle smiled. "So umm, are you guys friends, or dating one of them, or you're cousins, or what?"

"We're friends." I said cautiously.

"That's it?" He asked, smiling.

"Close friends. Very close." I said defensively.

"But no romance crud?" He asked, but he sounded as if he knew something was up.

"Well, Phineas and I…" What was I going to say? That I was madly in love with him, and he had no clue? No way I was going to tell Kyle that. "It's complicated." I finished.

"What about Green?" Kyle asked.

"Umm, well, I don't like him that way." I stammered. "But he's… and we… sometimes… I… I…" Oh god. Ferb was one of my dearest friends. My rock. But he was also a guy I used for sex. And I don't know what that's making me feel. "It's more complicated."

"I get it." Kyle said, winking at me. "You liked Red but now you like his buddy."

"WHAT!" I exclaimed. How could Kyle get it so wrong?

"Well, if it doesn't work out…"

"Are you hitting on me?" I exclaimed again.

Kyle winked again. I was so ready to chase him away. He was staring at the picture again. "You and Green do make a cute couple though." And he started walking away.

I stared at the picture. I lifted my hand up and covered Phineas, and just stared at Ferb and me. Because I couldn't help feeling like what Kyle said was true.

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I was fairly irritated by the time I got home. Between Kyle, work, and my mom calling to lecture me about everything from how I don't call her enough to how bad I am at making her flan recipe, I was just plain annoyed. And I was uncomfortable. Somehow, I had thought that it would be a good idea to wear my super skinny jeans to work today. Curse their relaxed dress code.

I finally made into my apartment and collapsed on the couch. I should probably change into pajamas, watch reruns of old shows, and then go to sleep. Or… I glanced at the phone. I made a little face. I shouldn't. I shouldn't call Ferb. It was a bad idea. I was getting addicted, he was probably busy, Phineas might be there, and I had a million other good reasons why I shouldn't sleep with him tonight. Yet…

I just texted him. I always made it subtle enough so that no one reading it would have any idea what was going on. But a second after I sent it, I felt like banging my head against the table. What the hell was wrong with me?

I hovered over my cell phone. He wasn't going to answer. Obviously. I wonder… I wonder if Ferb gets bored with me. I used to wonder about this even before Ferb became my FWB. I mean, I feel stupid compared to him. But now, I wonder if he's bored with me… sexually. He's probably been with a million "Vanessas". I wonder how much more interesting I could make myself. Maybe that's why Phineas doesn't like me the way I want him to. Hmm, it's something to think about.

My phone buzzed and startled me. But it was Ferb. And he said he'd be here in ten minutes. I can't believe it.

It felt like I was waiting for more than ten minutes though. I guess I was impatient. But was it because I really wanted sex or because I… missed Ferb?

There was a knock at the door and I hurried to go answer it. But I almost tripped on my own high heels. Damn it, I didn't even change. I was muttering swears under my breath when I opened the door. Instead of the normal sweet smile I get from Ferb, he looked kind of nervous and he rushed inside before I could say anything. He practically pushed me in and shut the door.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" I asked.

"Nothing, nothing." He said.

"Seriously, what happened?" I asked.

"Well, I just had to get out of there and in here before Phineas noticed." He said nervously.

"What?" I gasped. "He's home! Why did you even come over then?"

He gently shrugged. "Because you asked me?" I noticed he didn't seem confident in his response. But he must be. Because he couldn't have any other reason to risk getting caught. Because Ferb and I didn't like each other like that.

"Okay, okay." I stammered. We just walked to my bedroom, like always. "Ferb, how's it going with… Vanessa?" I just threw it out there. I don't know what I was expecting to hear.

Ferb sighed and sank down on my bed, with another stupid squeak. "Badly."

I sat down right next to him. I brushed some of his hair out of his face. "I'm sorry. Is she not speaking to you or is it the other guy…"

I was cut off by Ferb aggressively kissing me. It was forceful enough for me to temporarily forget about Vanessa Whatever Her Last Name Is and Kyle and Phineas and all the crap in my head. All I felt was Ferb kissing me. But it ended as quickly as it started.

Ferb pulled away from me. "I don't want to talk about it, Isabella." He got up and started pulling his shirt off.

"But it'll make you feel better." I said. "I tell the girls all about my Phineas problems." He flashed me a look. "And you too!" I quickly added. "I know you Ferb. I know how you are." I said quietly. "But sometimes you do need to talk."

He didn't say anything, but he turned away from me and started taking off his shoes. I bent down and started taking off mine, and afterwards my shirt. Oh Ferb. He was really upset, and he was keeping it all inside.

"Ferb," I whispered. He came back towards the bed and sat down again. "You're suffering. I can tell. Just let me in. Tell me what's going on inside your head. You don't have to be the quiet one all the time."

He stared at me. I just tilted my head down, and began fumbling with my bra clasp. Suddenly, I felt his hands undo it and it fell into my lap. Ferb brushed the hair from my face and laid me down on the bed. He began kissing my lips and my neck and my chest. I was getting hot and flustered but it felt so good. Ferb gently kissed the side of my face, and he whispered in my ear. "You… are… exceptional… Isabella."

I guess that was his own way of thanking me for my feeble attempt to advise him and an expression of his affection for me. But for some reason, that drove me crazier than the kissing. Because Ferb rarely said anything, when we were or weren't having sex. And hearing my name coming from his lips was such a turn on. The one thought in my head was WHY DID I WEAR FUCKING SKINNY JEANS TODAY? Why couldn't I just be in a skirt and let Ferb just take me now?

I guess I had to take the damn things off if I wanted him to. Ferb was about to get his off too. Just one more kiss and…

"Isabella? Hello? You home?"

Ferb and I totally froze mid-kiss. I literally saw Ferb's eyes widen to the biggest I'd ever seen them. Phineas.

"OH MY GOD!" I shrieked. I basically threw Ferb off of me as he scrambled to get up.

"Relax." He loudly whispered.

"Relax! The boy of my dreams is out there waiting for me while I'm about to screw his only brother!" I squealed.

"Well, umm…" Ferb was just as freaked out as I was.

"Figures YOU would be at a loss for words."

"Just, let me get my shirt, and…"

"And what?" I hissed. "You can't just stroll out there!"

"Isabella?" Phineas called again.

"Answer him." Ferb hissed.

"Right, right." I said. "In a second, Phineas!" I called. I turned back towards Ferb. "What are we going to do? Rule number one, Ferb!"

"Just see what he wants. I'll hide in the bedroom until he's gone." Ferb said.

"I can't answer the door! I'm freakin' topless!" I squealed.

"Here." Ferb chucked one of my over sized sweatshirts at me. It was black and thick, with Danville written across it. It would cover anything that needed to be covered.

"But why would I be wearing a super heavy sweatshirt now?" I asked.

Ferb seemed super frustrated. "Just answer the door!"

I threw the sweatshirt on and scrambled to the door. "Hey Phineas."

He smiled brightly. "Hi Isabella." He came into my apartment. Why was he here? I wish I wasn't too worried about him finding Ferb to enjoy his visit. "I just wanted to check up on you. You know, I haven't seen you as much as I'd like to recently."

I felt my heart swell. He's an angel. "That's so sweet." I said.

Phineas was staring at me. "Are you alright, Isabella? You look really red and you're breathing kind of heavy."

God, Ferb over stimulated me. "I'm fine Phineas."

He was still looking at me. Don't tell me Phineas Flynn will be able to recognize when a girl's been fooling around. That might kill me. He snapped his fingers together. "I know. You're overheating. I mean, look at that huge sweatshirt. You should take that off." His hands moved towards it.

"NO!" I screamed. "I'm just chilly." I said.

"You have to have lighter sweatshirts in your closet." He said. Phineas started walking towards my room.

"Wait, Phineas!" I had to warn Ferb. "PHINEAS IS GOING INTO MY BEDROOM!" I yelled loudly. Hopefully, Ferb heard.

Phineas stared at me strangely. "Yes, Phineas is." He opened the door. I closed my eyes, waiting for the cry of disbelief. But it didn't come. The bedroom was totally empty.

"Phineas, why don't you just go home?" I said hurriedly. "I'll be sure to stop by tomorrow." I started ushering him out the door.

"Oookay." He said. "And if you see Ferb, tell him I was looking for him. It's weird. I thought he was in the apartment, but I guess he wasn't."

"Okay, will do, bye!" I pushed him out as fast as I could and shut the door. Damn it! Who knows how much time I could have had with Phineas!

I marched into my bedroom. Ferb couldn't have disappeared. Suddenly, the closet door opened and I nearly leapt a foot in the air. "Don't scare me like that!"

"I'm sorry." Ferb said. "I couldn't very well stay there all night, now could I?"

"You should have." I said angrily. "If it weren't for you, I could've spent the whole night chatting with Phineas!"

Ferb's eyes narrowed. "Need I remind you, Isabella, that you called me over? Not the other way around."

My mouth was open. "Well, I, I… just get out, okay!" I said angrily. "Go feed your brother some shitty excuse about where you were!"

Ferb, now completely clothed, walked silently out of my room. But I could tell he was angry too, just by the way he left. And by the slam he made when he shut the door.

GAH! I flopped on my bed! I was so angry. At everybody and everything. Kyle and his stupid conclusions. Mom and her stupid lectures. Phineas and his obliviousness. Myself and the stupid circumstances I put myself into. But the person I was most angry with, the only person I had actually fought with today, was Ferb. And he hadn't done anything wrong. Besides not finishing our little benefit session.

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**Remember to review!**

**XOXOXO, Silver**


	8. Handcuffed

**Thanks for so many reviews. I was gone for a while and I might be gone again, so be patient with updates. This story is my number one priority right now.**

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I wasn't in a good mood. Today, Phineas and I created a gigantic karate competition open to the public. We had meticulously gone over every detail to make it seem as though we were really in Asia. The project was a huge success. And then, Phineas, Baljeet, Buford, and I all went out for some quality "guy time". But I wasn't in a good mood.

We were still out. We were in a casual and friendly bar. We aren't exactly heavy drinkers, but it's a nice place to just hang out. I was doing my very best not to seem upset, constantly displaying false smiles, light laughter, and such.

"Ferb, you look rather glum tonight." Baljeet said. I guess I wasn't doing a great job on the happy front.

"You okay, Ferb?" Phineas asked. He seemed concerned. "What's wrong?"

I shrugged, and they both seemed to take that as a sign that I was fine. I guess I was fine, but something was bringing me down.

Phineas and Baljeet turned away, and they, along with Buford, resumed their conversation. I normally listen, but occasionally, like now, I pretend to. I stared down at my drink. I watched the olive on a toothpick lazily float in it. I plucked it out and watched the liquid ripple because of the action. I watched the ripples swirl around until I suddenly noticed a face swirling in them. Isabella's face.

I rubbed my eyes frantically. When I opened them, I no longer saw Isabella in the alcohol. But now she was on my mind.

I guess I was upset because of Isabella. I hadn't spoken to her since yesterday. I hadn't meant to make her so angry, and I'm sure she hadn't meant to with me. But we had, and now I wasn't sure how to fix it. I couldn't tell Isabella I was sorry. I had nothing to be sorry for. Everything I had said was true. She was the one who needed to apologize. And I highly doubt she will.

"So, how's it going with Ginger, Baljeet?" Phineas asked.

"Wonderful! Amazing!" Baljeet said enthusiastically.

"NO! No talk about those lovebirds, please!" Buford whined.

Baljeet glared towards him, but turned back to Phineas. "I feel as if we were made for each other."

Phineas smiled at him. "That's great, Jeet. And to think your perfect girl was one of the Fireside Girls, one of our friends, around you the whole time, and secretly in love with you. I don't think that'll ever happen with me."

Baljeet, Buford, and I shot each other looks. "Are you POSITIVE, Phineas?" said Baljeet. "Maybe she has been here all along."

"Yeah." Buford piped up. "You're gonna end up with Isa- OW!" I kicked Buford hard in the shin. He definitely should not be the one to spill the secret.

Phineas stared at all three of us, confused. Suddenly, my cell phone rang. I checked who it was. Isabella? I stood up and signaled to the guys that I had to take this, and walked right outside the bar.

"Hello?" I answered.

"H…hi Ferb. I know you're probably still mad at me and all, but…" Isabella stammered. I didn't have anything to say, so I just let her continue. She sounded really nervous. "I, umm, I…" She took a big breath, so big I could hear it over the phone. "I need your help." She whispered.

I was suddenly filled with worry. Was she all right? "Why? What's the matter?"

"I… I…" she groaned. "Just come to my apartment, please? The key should be above the door, you know, on that crown molding thingy."

"Why can't you answer the door?" I asked, panicked. "Are you hurt? Why are you calling me? Should I get medical help?"

"NO! No no no!" She cried. "Don't bring anyone, don't tell anyone! I'm fine! I'm just… it has to be you. Anybody else would… just get over here!" And she hung up on me.

I had to admit, my curiosity was peaked. Isabella was fine, but was calling me desperately the night after she had told me off. And she hadn't mentioned anything about sleeping together. What exactly did she need?

I walked back into the bar, and tapped Phineas on the shoulder. "I think I'll be heading home."

"Why?" He asked curiously.

I shrugged, and waved to all three guys before heading off. Good thing this bar's within walking distance of our apartment building. That's the beauty of the city. I hurriedly entered the building and made to Isabella's apartment. All seemed well.

I knocked on the door. "Isabella?" I called.

"Oh, thank god!" She exclaimed. "Use the key and get in here!"

I felt around above the door and found it, then unlocked the door. The apartment was dark; there were almost no lights on. I slipped off my shoes and slowly walked down her hallway. Where would she be? I went towards the brightest light I could see, which was coming from the crack in Isabella's bedroom's doorway. I opened the door to Isabella's fully lit bedroom.

Isabella, who had been sitting on her bed, suddenly flipped around to face me, looking very shocked. "Holy… you're so damn quiet!" She exclaimed. "And you could've knocked, Ferb. Ferb?"

From the minute I stepped into the room, I couldn't take my eyes off of her, for two reasons. One was about to make me burst into laughter and the other was about to make me turn into a wild animal and do something crazy. Because Isabella had apparently handcuffed herself to her bed frame, wearing nothing but some pathetic excuse for lingerie, because those little strips of hot pink lace left little to the imagination.

"FERB!" Isabella shouting at me brought me back to reality.

"Sorry." I muttered. I desperately tried to rip my eyes away from her body, and failed. She obviously noticed.

"Don't just stand there looking at me! You're no help at all!" She declared.

"What exactly am I looking at, Isabella?" I asked her.

"Well, I… I…" She stammered. "I… got these from somewhere… and I just wanted to… see if they worked… they do." She finished lamely.

I stared at her. I was holding in laughter.

She hung her head. "I handcuffed myself to the bed, and I'm stuck. Can you… get me out?"

I nodded and sat down next to her. I still felt like laughing. I know it wouldn't be a very nice thing to do, but I couldn't help it. Unfortunately, she noticed.

"Ferb!" She cried. She tried to shove me off the bed but I escaped her reach. "Stop laughing at me. I'm already humiliated enough."

"Isn't there a key?" I asked her.

"No, the lady said 'Just tug on them and they'll open.' Damn con artist." She said.

I stared at the cuffs. They were actually white and fluffy around the wrists. Was this some kind of… sex toy? I gulped and stared at Isabella, who was muttering swears under her breath, not really paying attention to me.

"Just help me." She pleaded.

I nodded. One cuff was on Isabella's left wrist, and the other was attached to her bed frame. I reached for the one on the bed, but I had to reach over Isabella to get to it. And I was sure my head would explode if I touched her bare skin. I desperately tugged at the handcuffs, trying to get them open.

"Man, I hate this stupid bed." Isabella said. "Now it's holding me captive! Plus, it's pretty ugly and… it squeaks."

I glanced at her. "I know." She blushed and looked away from me. Suddenly, there was a loud "unclick" and Isabella was no longer attached to the bed.

"Thank you." She said, relieved.

We both sat back, relaxed. Isabella was not stuck to the bed and I was not in that dangerously close range with her anymore.

"Whew," she said. "Now you know why it had to be you and you alone." I suppose since I had already done much more than this with her, it made sense.

"Ferb, I am so sorry for being a bitch to you yesterday." I was surprised by her apology. I smiled at her and she smiled back. "I guess this stuff was a waste of money, huh?"

"Isabella," I asked. "Why exactly were you using these? And why are you dressed like this?" Because this was dangerously different from her normal under garments.

Isabella looked down and away from me. "It was for you." For me? "I was worried that… that you would get bored with plain old Isabella." She looked down at herself and laughed quietly. "I was really just getting the lingerie and the saleswoman coerced me into getting the cuffs." Though she had laughed, she sounded and looked like she was about to cry.

I didn't know what to say. "Oh… Bella, I would never, ever, get bored with you. Not only are you fun and sweet and darling, you're also incredibly sexy and beautiful. Not to mention an amazing friend and person."

A single tear escaped her eye, and she smiled a watery smile at me. "Really?"

I nodded shyly, and tried to escape her gaze. I focused on the empty handcuff in my hands. Just for fun, I slipped my wrist into it, unlocked, of course. It was actually really soft. I suddenly felt something on my head. It was Isabella's right hand, gently stroking my hair.

"Ferb, I…I…" Her hand moved to cradle my face. She was moving closer to me. My eyes were roaming her body again. Once again, she was biting at her lip. I can now declare that my official turn-on. Her chest pressed against mine and her pink lips were just seconds away from mine. I closed my eyes and… CLICK! My eyes flew open. Oh no!

"What was that?" asked Isabella.

Oh no! I glanced down. The handcuffs that I had foolishly been trying on had shut around my right wrist. And I was now handcuffed to Isabella.

"What did you do?" Isabella exclaimed. We both stared at our handcuffed wrists, and began desperately tugging on them.

"Shit, they won't open! Ferb, I'm going to kill you!" She shouted.

"Umm…" I tried to think. "What if I run one way and you run the other way? That should tug them loose."

She gave me a skeptical look. "Do you actually think that could work?"

"It works in cartoons."

So Isabella and I stood up and ran like crazy people in both directions. At first it didn't seem to do anything, and we were just pulling each other in different ways. Then, suddenly, there was a loud snap, and I went flying into Isabella's bookcase.

Isabella had also gone flying. She picked herself up and dusted herself off. She glanced at the broken cuffs. "Stupid piece of junk." She ran over to me and offered her hand. I got up. I couldn't help but feel like we were both enormous idiots after that.

"Anyway, Ferb, I'm not mad at you anymore, and I hope you aren't mad at me." She said. I wasn't mad. In fact, I was practically drooling over her again. Curse the male mind and all its vulgar thoughts. And throughout the night, those thoughts had certainly been building up.

"And, thank you. For helping me. In more ways than one." She was guiding me towards the door. "Maybe we can go back our benefits tomorrow."

Tomorrow? Oh no. Oh hell no. After all the stupidity (and longing) that we had undergone tonight, I would not be settling for tomorrow.

I suddenly grabbed Isabella and kissed her passionately. I felt her kissing back and she seemed to lose control of her legs. She threw her arms around my neck and deepened the kiss, and she began to wrap her legs around my waist.

I dropped Isabella onto her bed and we proceeded to remove our clothes as fast as possible. And to have sex even faster than that.

It's crazy actually. I'm risking everything, doing this with Isabella almost every night. I'm risking everything: my relationships with Vanessa, Phineas, Isabella, and myself. But I can't seem to stop. I don't want to stop. I'm handcuffed to Isabella in more ways than one.


	9. Falling or Finding

**This is a shorter chapter, sorry. And if you're reading, please review!**

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How often does a person totally have to rethink his or her relationship with somebody else? I mean, it can't be often. When you meet a person, they make an impression on you and you make an impression on them. And that's that. You become acquaintances, enemies, friends, lovers, or some kind of wacky mixture of what I've already mentioned.

Now, if it isn't often, then I must have a problem. Because my thoughts about a certain green haired British young man are becoming a giant glob, a recipe for disaster. Because you need to throw in ingredients such as the fact that I don't even know Ferb that well, because he barely talks, or the fact that he can really irritate me, and we're starting to fight all the time. Or that Ferb is a childhood friend that I can tell anything to. OR the fact that I'm his sex partner all the time. And that somehow, I think I might be falling…

A loud buzz interrupted my thoughts. I don't think many people realize how scary a cell phone set on vibrate can be when you're alone in a quiet room, thinking to yourself. It was a text message. I hope I don't have to kill whom it's from. I checked it. Phineas.

**Hey! Wanna swing by our place tonite?**

Did I? Of course I did! I would take any chance I had with Phineas. I would do anything he asked. I was in love with him… right?

Of course, Ferb would probably be there. I don't know what I hate more; getting stuck with Phineas and a big crowd, or getting stuck with just Phineas and Ferb. There's something a lot more awkward when it's just the three of us. Phineas and Ferb always have a good time together. I have always wanted to really be alone with Phineas. And Ferb and I… well, we definitely did a lot when we were alone. But, I went. I answered Phineas, and I just… went to their apartment.

Phineas opened the door with a big smile on his face, as usual. "Hey Isabella!"

"Hi Phineas! What's up? Whatcha' doin?" I said.

He was flitting back and forth, from the kitchen to the dining table, as quickly as possible, carrying plates, napkins, and glasses.

"It's dinner time!" He said brightly. "Spaghetti and meatballs."

My thoughts drifted to Phineas-land, where the evening would consist of flowers, candles, and romantic music. Where Phineas and I would be sharing a plate of spaghetti, and accidentally end up having a Lady and the Tramp moment. I sighed. Of course, there was no way that was going to happen. Phineas would probably be too busy going on about his inventions, while Ferb and I awkwardly tried not to make too much eye contact. Then, I noticed something. Ferb wasn't even here.

"Phineas," I said, "Where's Ferb?"

He popped his head out from the kitchen. "Ferb? Oh, he said he had to go somewhere or something. It's weird, because he said he was free earlier. Then I mentioned inviting you, and then all of a sudden, he said he was busy."

Phineas sat down at the table and I rushed to sit next to him. Two plates of spaghetti were sitting in front of us. This was one of those excruciatingly rare times when I was alone with Phineas, not to mention the closest it's ever been to Phineas actually setting up a "date" for us. Oh Ferb… once again that boy is the only reason I'm enjoying actual alone time with Phineas. I really owe him. Of course… he could just be avoiding me because of the awkwardness.

Both thoughts were sort of annoying. Because either Ferb is just racking up my debt to him or he isn't very comfortable being my friend anymore. Actually, that wasn't annoying, that was upsetting.

"Isabella?" Phineas looked at me questioningly, probably because I was gazing into the distance like an idiot.

"Sorry, I was just thinking." I said.

"About what?" Phineas asked.

"Ferb. I MEAN…" I couldn't believe I just said that. If only I could just reel that word back in. I couldn't even recover and make an excuse. What would Phineas say?

"Really?" Phineas asked. "Because I was thinking about him too. Ferb's been acting sort of weird lately."

"Weird? Weird how?" I cautiously asked.

"Weird, like he doesn't seem to want to collaborate with me as much, he keeps looking at pictures of Vanessa and sighing, he is either sleeping in or acting sleepy, and he's always sneaking off nowadays. Like just now, he said he was free but now he's gone."

I felt like fainting. Phineas cannot discover what's actually been going on. He CANNOT. I would die. And Ferb probably would too. At least Phineas didn't seem to care about my little slip-up.

"Well, umm… what do you think about… whatever is going on?" I gulped.

"I think… Ferb needs a girlfriend." Phineas declared.

"What!" I said. That wasn't what I expected to hear.

"Yeah! He's obviously depressed about Vanessa, and he needs a girlfriend! And you and I are going to help him find the perfect one!" Phineas said excitedly.

"Well… umm…" I didn't even know what to say. I knew why Ferb was slinking around and acting strange. But Ferb was depressed over Vanessa. I knew that much.

"We'll find the perfect girl and arrange for them to go on a date!"

"I don't know if Ferb would want us to set him up with some random girl, Phineas." I said.

"Oh come on. Between you and me, we'll find the perfect girlfriend for Ferb." Said Phineas.

I was torn. I wanted Ferb to be happy again. I wanted to do more things with Phineas. But if Ferb gets a girlfriend, that effectively ends our friends-with-benefits deal. I mean, that's okay, Ferb and I would go right back to how we were before; good friends with no awkwardness. And Ferb would be happy.

But would I be? I wish I could say I would be, that I would go back to normal, but I still think a small part of me is falling in…

"Ok, ok, Phineas. I'll help you find Ferb a girlfriend."


	10. Blind Date

**Okay, I got a bunch of reviews last chapter, plus I delayed this update to write other stuff, so I should be writing a better author's note but I'm too tired. So just read and review! *collapses on bed***

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Now I'm beginning to realize that I've been complaining that I'm upset or in a bad mood all the time recently. Of course, I have had reason enough to be. Getting your heart crushed and having to resort to a twisted arrangement with your friend isn't pleasant. I just wish I could be a little tiny bit happier. As carefree as Phineas. Or even Isabella.

I have to admit, Isabella has seemed a lot brighter recently. She's laughing and smiling and joking around with Phineas and me more than ever before. And she's gotten more… aggressive... sexually.

I can't understand what's going on in her head. It's so strange. I generally pride myself on being able to read people. And Isabella? An open book. The only person in the whole world who doesn't know all Isabella's secrets is Phineas. I guess I can ponder it to myself. Maybe she's over Phineas, and can now act comfortably around us, because she doesn't feel guilty for sleeping with me. Or maybe being friends with benefits is actually helping her confidence and she's making real progress with Phineas. Or she's miserable and she's trying to force herself to eliminate all the awkwardness. There are too many possibilities.

The subject wouldn't leave my mind, even as I was brushing my teeth and getting ready to go to sleep for the night. I have to mention one more thing that annoys me. Being whacked playfully on the back by my brother while I'm gargling.

Yeah, he didn't seem to notice me choking. "Ferb, got any plans for tomorrow night?" I shook my head. "Great, because I think tomorrow would be a great night for you to maybe, I don't know, go out? See what Danville nightlife has to offer?"

I stared hard at him. Where was this going?

"And you might just need a pretty date." He said casually.

"No." I said, as I walked out of the bathroom.

"You don't even know what I was going to say!" He called after me. I got into my bed. "Ferb? You better not be pretending to sleep!" He said indignantly. I let out a fake snore, just to be obnoxious. "Ferb!" Phineas marched into the room.

I sat up. "I do know what you were going to say." He opened his mouth to protest. "I don't do blind dates."

"Why not? How do you know she isn't 'the one'?" he said dramatically.

She isn't. I've already met "the one" and she's in love with someone else. I let my thoughts linger on Vanessa, but suddenly they started to change into Isabella. I shook my head. That was weird. Anyway, she's in love with someone else too. "I don't want to go out with someone I've never met."

"I know you'll like her. Isabella and I picked her out just for you." Isabella and Phineas? Together? Picking out a girlfriend for me? "She just moved into the building. Would you just go out with her?"

I didn't know what to say. Phineas was giving me his classic, innocent, pleading look. The kind of look that gets Candace not to release evidence that lake monsters exist. Or that gets us out of trouble with the FCC. So I slowly nodded yes. How bad could it be?

* * *

Blind dates. I had been sitting at this table for at least twenty minutes. I wish I could just go off on Phineas and Isabella, but they weren't here. Plus, that wasn't really my style. I was ready to head out when a waiter suddenly directed a young lady to my table, and she rushed into the empty seat.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry! Are you Ferb?" She asked.

I stared at her. She had small brown eyes and a bubbly smile. Her thick hair was a dark red and formed one sweeping wave behind her. She was wearing a sexy black and white dress that would look a lot better on if she wasn't so skinny.

"Hi. I'm Wynne Martin." She said. I rose to greet her, and then we both sat down and looked at the menus.

I noticed she was smiling at me. "You know, they told me you don't talk that much. And that you didn't really want to come on this date."

"Oh, I don't want you to think I…" I began to say.

She swatted her hand. "Oh, it's okay. I'm chatty. Plus, I hate blind dates too."

I relaxed a little. She was pretty and seemed sweet.

"So, you actually MADE the building we live in? Cause that's really amazing. I didn't even grow up around here but I know all about the famous 'Phineas and Ferb'. And now I've met both of you. What kind of name is Ferb anyway?"

So sick of that question. "What kind of name is Wynne?" I suddenly asked.

She giggled. "I have no idea. It means 'fair' in Welsh or something. I'm not even from the UK." She gestured towards me. "But I never had to deal with having the same name as someone in my class."

"Me either." I remarked, and we both chuckled.

The night went on. We ordered food and talked. Wynne was pretty and smart and sweet. It wasn't the worst date I had been on, but I felt almost bored. I got a text just as we were eating dessert. It was Isabella.

**How's the date?**

I glanced at Wynne before I responded. I didn't want to seem rude. She gestured for me to go ahead.

**Fine.**

I sent it. Suddenly, I heard a low buzz nearby, and a slightly louder yelp from a girl. It was very close. I think it was coming from in front of me, behind Wynne, and… behind a potted plant?

There was a plant several feet behind her, near the hall towards the bathrooms. Wynne was talking, but I was straining my neck and leaning sideways in my chair to see behind the plant. I saw… black hair? Oh no, don't tell me she…

I fell right out of my chair and onto the floor. Wynne and some waiters and even some people sitting nearby rushed to help me. I got up, insisting I was fine. I caught another glance behind the plant. A pink dress.

"Are you okay, Ferb?" Wynne gently asked me.

"Would you just excuse me for a minute?" I growled.

I got up and marched towards the bathrooms. But there happened to be a girl hiding behind the large plant along the way there. I knew it.

"Heeeyy, Ferb." Isabella said. I crossed my arms and started tapping my foot. "I bet you're wondering why I'm here, aren't you?" She said nervously. I just scowled at her. "Umm, well…"

"You don't have a reason, do you?" I said tiredly. I mean, of course she had a reason, that was why she was here. She just didn't have one she could tell me.

"No, I just wanted to see how your date was going." She said.

"I already told you. FINE. Wynne's nice, and I came on the date, just like you wanted. Why do you two insist on meddling with my life?" I complained.

"What?" She said.

"Phineas. You and Phineas. I assume he's hiding here as well." I said. Isabella didn't say anything. She wouldn't make eye contact with me. I stared at her. "Wait, you came on your own?" I asked, confused.

Isabella fiddled with her hair. "I… I'm gonna go now." She started to walk towards the main door as fast as she could.

"Umm, hi Isabella." Wynne said as Isabella walked by her quickly.

"Hello Wynne." She said.

"Bye Isabella." Wynne called after her. I went back to my seat. "Umm… what just…"

"Don't ask." I said.

"Okay. Well, I had a lovely evening Mr. Fletcher." She said sweetly, as we got up to go.

"I did too, Miss Martin." I said.

"And we should do it again sometime."

She wanted to go out again? After tonight? Well, I was surprised. But that didn't mean I didn't want to go out again. This was the first night in a long time where I wasn't complaining.

"And so would I." I said.

She smiled at me, and then left to call a taxi. Now I just had one thing to do. I had to find out where my Isabella had run off to.


	11. A Mess

**Howdy readers! This might be the last update for a while, so enjoy it, while I travel Europe for three weeks! Jealous? I leave on Monday, so I will be MIA from that day onwards. Here's chapter 11!**

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I am the jealous type. I'm also ashamed to admit that. I get jealous over all sorts of stupid things. I was so annoyed when Melissa preferred Candace over me, I'm secretly super jealous of Adyson, Ginger, and all of the "perfect" relationships so many of my friends have, and I turn green when the boys steal my Phineas time.

Green made me think of Ferb and that brought me back to the topic at hand. And it reminded me that I really am a mess. Not the put-together girl I pretend to be, but a complete mess.

I really really want to say that I had fun with Phineas yesterday. There's no reason why I shouldn't have had fun. It was another "practically a date" moment. It was no spaghetti dinner, but it was just him and me all day. But it was just another one of his master plans that I was a part of. Yet, there was something unusual about it. Even though Phineas was so focused on finding a nice girl for Ferb, he was being extra friendly and seemed to be enjoying the fact that it was just the two of us. Maybe Phineas really does like me after all.

But, like I said, not a real fun day. He was on the phone half the time, and then we went out on a foot search for our mystery girl. I don't want to say we settled for Wynne, but she was the first girl who wasn't horrible or weird.

Wynne was so sweet and fun, almost like Phineas in a way, with their red hair and chatty personalities. He seemed to really like her. Not enough to ask her out, of course. Phineas has a one-track mind, and it was set to "find Ferb a girlfriend mode", and it would not be changing any time soon. I wonder how I would have felt if Phineas did like her. I would probably be super jealous. I mean, based on today…

After we met Wynne, Phineas said that he would tell Ferb all about the date they would be going on. That left me to go home, by myself. As I was sitting alone in my room, I couldn't help thinking of Ferb, again.

I had pretty much been all over him recently. I would be in control of him from the moment he stepped in to the second before he left. Maybe it's just our personalities; I can be bossy and Ferb can be submissive. But I knew the real reason was that I had to have my fill of him, from the kisses to the sex, before he got a girlfriend and our deal was up.

I didn't want that to happen. But I couldn't let down Phineas and I couldn't be sleeping with Ferb after he started dating a nice girl I had recently befriended. That wasn't right.

And then, suddenly, I wasn't thinking of me and Ferb, I was thinking of Wynne and Ferb. Being the perfect couple and all. I had no doubt that he would like her. And then I'd have to look at another sickeningly perfect romance between my friends. That would feature somebody else with Ferb.

And then the green monster reared its ugly head. I couldn't help it! At this point, I know I love Phineas, but I'm sure people get jealous when their friend-with-benefits is in the arms of another, right?

So I had pulled an immature stunt and actually followed Ferb out on his date. And I had gotten caught. If I was actually smart, I would've grabbed one of those ninja suits from Phineas.

I hadn't even known where to go after running out like that. I just kept walking with my head down. Why? Because I felt tears starting to come out of my eyes. I had no reason to even be crying. I was just a huge baby! This was the EXACT same way I had felt when I saw Phineas with Mystery Minka.

I had ended up at the park. I know people say the city park is never a good place to be at night, but I didn't care. I mean, there were streetlights and stuff. I just plopped myself down on a park bench. I had some thinking to do. I had to figure out if I was jealous because the boys had relationships and I didn't, OR because I wanted to be in a relationship with one of those said boys. I definitely want to be dating Phineas, and I don't want to be dating Ferb. But then why did I feel so upset that I had to follow him on this date?

Since I know I obviously don't love Ferb, I think I'm jealous because I don't want him getting a girlfriend and being in a happy relationship, while I rust away with no Phineas as a boyfriend and no Ferb as a friend with benefits. That must be it.

Now I just felt kind of bad. I had totally embarrassed myself and I was sitting all alone in a dark park. I sniffed loudly. Suddenly, I heard footsteps. Oh no, I was a girl all alone at night! Those Fireside self-defense classes better come in handy now.

A shadowy figure was walking up to me. I was terrified until I saw his face. Ferb.

"Always sneaking up on me." I said flatly. He walked over and gestured towards the empty spot on the bench next to me, asking if he could sit there. "Whatever." I sighed.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

I exploded. "Am I? I have no clue! I spend the whole day with Phineas, 'desperately' searching for a new girlfriend for you, and then, something possesses me to sneak over there and spy on you two for no real reason!"

He half-smiled. "So you were possessed?"

"Stop it! You act like you're Mr. Cool, Mr. Hilarious, Mr. Perfect! You obviously can't relate to a girl who has clearly lost her mind!" I was suddenly crying again.

"Isabella…" Ferb sighed and pulled me into his arms.

"I'm losing my mind." I muttered. "I've been trying SO hard, for SO long, to get the my guy, my Phineas, that I can't handle happy couples. And if you become one, you'll be abandoning me." I wouldn't just be abandoned by my FWB or my buddy, I'd lose the only kindred spirit I have. Ferb understood. He had the exact same love problems I had. And if Ferb never gets Vanessa, then I'll never get Phineas.

Ferb sighed and seemed to think for a minute. "Let me do something for you."

"I already owe you for a billion things." I complained.

"I want to ask Phineas to go out with you." He said.

"What!" I gasped.

"I'm not going to tell him you're in love with him. Just let me phrase it in such a way that you two go out together."

"But we've done that, and he barely acknowledges the fact that I'm a girl." I whined.

"But I've been noticing things. He seems to want to be with you more now than ever before. You two are even conspiring behind my back." He joked.

I didn't want this to happen. But I trusted Ferb. "Okay." He got up and we both started walking out of the park.

"And don't ever be jealous." Ferb said.

"What?" I said.

"Phineas, Baljeet, Buford, the Fireside girls, me, and everybody else would be a mess without you. No other girl will ever be my Isabella."

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**Well, now what? Will Phineas fall for Isabella? Will Ferb end up with Wynne? Has Isabella lost her mind? In Europe, will I come across a group of Canadian college students, with Dylan as the most popular among the group? And will ANYBODY realize their true feelings? All your questions... won't be answered for a long time... so, ponder it by yourself.**

**Anywho, please review. And also, PM and tell me if any really good stories, Ferbella or others, get published while I'm gone.**

**Wuv, Silver**


	12. Ferb as Cupid

**Missed me? I knew you would! Well, I'm back! As always, please review!**

**Love, Silver**

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You wouldn't think it would be Mission Impossible. In fact, most believe it would be far from it. Getting Phineas to go out with Isabella, I mean. Everyone who's ever met them can see that they're meant for each other. Or at least that's what they assume.

I remember what happened several years ago, in middle school. Phineas got his first real girlfriend. I don't remember her very well, but I think she was Iranian and very smart and pretty. Anyway, she was the first girl Phineas seemed to have really taken a liking to, and after just a few dates, they were labeled as "boyfriend and girlfriend" by our peers. And something in Isabella just… snapped. She came to me later on, with no tears, with no words. I didn't know how to comfort her or what to do. But, only days later, Isabella forced herself to return to normal, and eventually, Phineas and his girlfriend broke up, and everything went back to the way it was before. But, it was in that moment that I realized that the assumption was wrong. Phineas and Isabella weren't magically going to end up together. It was going to take a little more than that.

The problem was I didn't know what I could possibly do to fulfill my promise to Isabella. My brain was only slightly more romantically inclined than my brother's, which isn't saying much.

"Ferb!" Wynne loudly snapped her fingers in front of my face. I shook my head and silently apologized. We were sitting on the carpeted floor of her new apartment.

Before anyone goes jumping to conclusions, Wynne and I are hardly dating. She was actually the one who broke it off. She said she sensed I wasn't completely into us dating. I just couldn't be, not with my strands of Vanessa hope and my mess of Isabella confusion. But we decided to be friends. Which is good, since I'm finding it harder and harder to confide in my other friends nowadays.

"How do you think you would get Phineas and Isabella to go out together?" I asked her.

Wynne giggled. "I knew there was something up between them."

"You… you did?" I answered. I couldn't help feeling bothered by that. Even a completely new girl thought Isabella should end up with Phineas. A new girl who had even seen Isabella follow me on a date. Phineas and Isabella. The inevitable love story, despite the lack of reciprocated proof.

"Are you trying to get them together?" She asked. I nodded. "You're a good friend Ferb. I guess I would try to convince Phineas to do something fun with Isabella. You know, no mention of an actual date." I nodded, listening closely. "I'll tell you what I think though." Wynne said thoughtfully. "Don't you think that Isabella ending up with Phineas is a little predictable?" I opened my mouth in protest. "You said it yourself. Everyone thinks, assumes, predicts, that they'll end up together." She said. I closed my mouth. I had no argument, it was true. "Isabella and Phineas are both unpredictable, exciting, and a little insane. I don't think a boring predictable relationship between them is going to work out."

* * *

I was trying it. I don't care what Wynne says; I had to get Isabella and Phineas together. I was doing it for Isabella. I was even doing it for Phineas. And maybe I was doing it for myself. Maybe I was trying to prove that if these two can end up together, so can Vanessa and I. Or maybe I just wanted to prove I'm truly the best Cupid around here.

I caught him, Phineas I mean, at home, mulling over another project. What keeps him so driven? Before it was getting the most out of summer before school started. Now, I guess he just wants the most out of life. Carpe Diem.

I wasn't sure what to say. I ran my hand through my hair. Man, sometimes I feel like I'm floating with no paddle.

Phineas must have heard me, because he turned around excitedly. "Ferb, Ferb, come here and look at this!"

I walked over and peered over his shoulder. I wasn't really paying attention to it. I was trying to think of how to get Phineas to go out with Isabella without telling him outright that Isabella loved him. I feel like I did owe this to her. I basically had to ask my own brother on a not-date.

I felt myself squirming as Phineas kept chatting. My eyes were wandering until they landed on something on the table, and they lit up. I snatched the object from the table and held it up in front of Phineas.

"Hmm?" He said. "Oh, that's just a coupon for the Better Panda restaurant. You know, that Chinese restaurant. Dinner for two. It's going to expire soon. Do you want it?"

I shook my head no. Phineas shrugged, and turned back to his work. After a few minutes of silence I suddenly spoke up. "Why don't you take Isabella?"

Phineas turned back towards me. "Isabella? Why?" He asked suspiciously.

"Uh, you know… because… she loves Chinese?" I said weakly.

Phineas shrugged. "I guess. You can take it if you guys want to use it."

"No." I said. "She'd rather go with you." I hope I wasn't being too obvious.

Phineas stared at me for a while. I felt like I was being scrutinized. But then he smiled. "Yeah, okay. I guess we can go tomorrow night for dinner. If that's okay with you, I mean. I wouldn't want to abandon you." He said.

I gently nodded, showing that I would be fine without them. Then, I left for my room. Wow, I had no idea how much stress I could give myself from just trying to set up one little date. But then again, I give myself stress all the time. I grabbed the phone and called up Isabella.

"Hello?"

"You're going on a date with Phineas tomorrow night." I said quickly. She had barely finished saying hello.

"Really? Wow, I… I can't believe it. I'm actually going out with Phineas?" She didn't sound nearly as excited as I expected her to. "Ferb, I… Ferb… Ferb…"

"Stop it. Stop saying my name." I whispered quietly.

"What?"

I hung the phone up before she could say anymore. She wasn't even supposed to hear what I said. Whatever. I had given them that push they needed. Isabella was going out with Phineas. It was… inevitable.


	13. Sleepover

**Okay, so between you readers and a book on writing I read in the last few days, I was issued the challenge to write another sex scene. It's actually tougher than you'd think. So heads up, this is another lemon chapter.**

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I was nervous as hell. The last thing I had been expecting this week was to go on an actual date with Phineas. I didn't know what to think, much less wear. I really wanted to wear this new pink dress I got recently. It's sexy, but not too short or too revealing. The only problem was that I couldn't really put it on by myself. I mean, I could put it on, just not zip it up. Eventually I managed to do it, but I ended up lying on the ground on my stomach during the process. Anyway, my hair was silky and straight, my dress was on, and I looked pretty dang fantastic. But would Phineas think so?

Phineas was there to meet me when I got out of the elevator. He stuck out one arm to me. "Ready to go, Isabella?"

I blushed. "Ready, Freddie!" I felt like smacking myself in the face. What idiot would actually say that?

"Well, let's go." He said with a smile.

We went outside the building, and Phineas called a cab. We both got inside. The whole ride he was surprisingly quiet. Was he as nervous as I was? The cab stopped in front of the restaurant. Phineas pulled out his wallet. I hope he wasn't going to spend TOO much on me...

"Hey, Isabella, do you have an extra five I can borrow?"

I turned, stunned, to see Phineas and his pleading eyes, asking me for money on our first date!

"Sure." I said, as I gritted my teeth.

"Cool, I'll pay you back." He responded. Then, he walked into the building… like it was no big deal!

I tried to reassure myself. Okay Isabella, don't lose it. Remember that this isn't even a date for him. This was… this was a test! A test to see how well I could handle having oblivious Phineas as a boyfriend, a test to see what he would be like as a boyfriend, and a test to see how much he liked me. And I was sure his performance would improve.

But, as the night went on, it didn't. I couldn't believe it. It didn't get any better. It got worse. Phineas babbled on all night about work, and in, if possible, the most boring terms in existence. I could barely get a word in. He blew out the romantic candles on purpose. He didn't even want to split a dessert with me! The night couldn't get any worse… or make me feel any worse about myself.

Our waiter swerved around to our table again. "Anything else for you or your date tonight sir?" He asked.

Phineas seemed to choke on the air for a minute. "She… she isn't really my date. We're just friends." He said nervously. I felt like I was dying. I can't believe him! "Anyway," Phineas said, brightening up. "Nothing but the check, my good man!"

The waiter left and Phineas turned to me. "I'm sorry about that. Hey, don't forget the fortune cookies!"

"I didn't." I growled. As Phineas turned to greet the waiter again, I felt my fist coming down on the cookies. Stupid… no good… I have the worst life! Both men gave me weird looks. I brushed the crumbs off my dress and attempted to look coy, like it never happened.

"Cash or credit?" The waiter asked.

"Neither." Phineas reached down and whipped something from his pocket. "I have a coupon!"

I don't think anything on this entire date could have been worse than that. "A coupon?" I repeated blankly.

"Yeah," He said, as we got up to leave. "Dinner for two for free. That's the only reason we came here. Ferb wanted me to use it up."

I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. Phineas had been doing his brother a favor by using up a coupon and taking me out like he asked. There had been no romantic feelings involved. This might beat out every single horrible date I had ever been on, Turkey Boy included. And Phineas was still completely innocent.

I sniffed as I got out of the cab. I had to pay for it. We were back at the apartment. I could not let him see me do so, but I really had to cry.

"Are you going to your place?" I whispered.

"Nah, the night's still young. I might go to Buford's or Baljeet's or even out for coffee, if you want to come…"

I was in the elevator before I let him invite me anywhere. I pressed the button to go up to my floor. In the silence of the elevator, I let myself start to cry. But even though a few tears were coming, it was almost as if I was just howling to myself. I was actually almost furious. I didn't want to cry or complain or even hang out at Baljeet's with Phineas. I… just wanted to get laid.

That's all I needed right now. I might be able to get over it after one night of mindless sex. I banged on his door, unnecessarily loud. He would be there. Where else could that awful British matchmaker be?

He opened the door. He looked surprised to see me. I honestly didn't care. I just proceeded to shove my tongue down his throat before he had any time to react. I forcefully pushed him inside and slammed the door behind me.

Suddenly I felt like crying again. I even spoke in a wimpy weepy voice. "I need my benefits now." And I tried to kiss him again.

Ferb held me away, at arm's length. "Why? What happened?" He said, in such a concerned voice it made me want to cry again.

I held my head up proudly and walked past him to his bedroom. Ferb followed me quickly. I shut the door.

"Okay, start stripping." I said in a dull, empty voice.

"Seriously, what happened?" He said again, this time more forcefully.

"I'm not telling you anything." I said stubbornly.

"Then I'm not sleeping with you." He said, in a voice obviously mimicking what I had just said.

"Yeah right, I'm sure you'll have a harder time refusing when I'm naked." I said cockily. I attempted to change when I realized… I could not reach the zipper of my dress. I struggled and cursed and attempted to get the nasty little zipper to no avail, while Ferb stood there smugly.

"Would you, umm, unzip me?" I said quietly. Well, he had won this battle.

Ferb nodded and walked over to me. I kept my head down, too embarrassed to look at him. He took his hand and pulled all my hair to one side, running his fingers across my bare back in the process. I shivered with his touch. I felt his warm breath on my shoulder.

"Will you tell me what happened?" He said very softly. I heard the zipper go down so quietly. My breath hitched.

"It's nothing. It's the same old thing. Phineas is nice to me, does things with me, but doesn't feel the same way I do. And tonight had a few too many blows at once." I sighed.

"Is that it?" Ferb said calmly. "Nothing really bad or anything else?"

"No!" I said defiantly. "Why is it when you don't want to talk, you don't have to?"

"Maybe I'll tell you when you tell me." Ferb said.

"Maybe I'll tell you when you fuck me." I replied.

"Deal." He said, as he began taking off his shirt.

"What?" I exclaimed.

"I'll sleep with you, like you wanted, if you tell me what's going on in your head."

I crossed my arms. "And if I don't?"

"Then nothing. I can't control you."

I was gaping at him again. What is he? A robot, a Christ figure, a superhuman? Because I have evidence that he's all three.

Ferb was just in his boxers now. I finally let my dress drop to the ground. I was on him in about one second. We madly kissed as my bra, my panties, and his boxers all eventually dropped away.

We fell onto the bed with me on top, still in make out mode when he suddenly stopped and whispered. "Go on. Talk."

"Talk?" I said, between heavy breaths. I gently kissed the side of his face. "I had a rotten date with Phineas." I caught his ear lobe gently in my teeth. "I'm mad at you." He seemed surprised. "You set me up on that stupid date. You gave him the coupon. You keep racking up my list of favors I owe you. I'm mad because you're too good of a boy."

Ferb suddenly flipped me on my back so fast I didn't even see it coming. Now he was on top and I was wide-eyed, staring up at him. "I'm not. Really, I'm not."

That sudden shock reminded me exactly what was going on. How close we were to each other and how totally bare our bodies were. How completely intimate we are with each other. And then I had to remind myself that we had done it before. And it was supposed to be meaningless.

And he started. He's never ever been rough with me, but every time, it's as if he's untapped some kind of wild euphoria in me. Every time, the feeling of him connecting to me is crazy. We were in Ferb's bed, so for the first time, I could actually hear his breaths instead of incessant squeaking. And me. I could definitely hear me.

I'd like to say I'm ladylike in the bedroom, but that would be a huge lie. And the only things that I say are hardly poetic. Mostly just hissed swears and loud commands. And his name. The more I say Ferb, the crazier he seems to get. Like it has some effect on him.

And moans. When my orgasm hit, I let out such a loud one that Ferb had to shut me up with a kiss. Or should I say my first orgasm. Because there was more than one… or two. And each time I would moan and rake my nails down his back like a cat. If it hurt, it didn't show, unless it only made him thrust harder.

When we were done, he was tired. He didn't say anything as he changed into clean boxers, but I could tell. It was past 2 in the morning. I rinsed myself off in the shower. When I peeked back in the room, he was asleep under his covers. I smiled at him as I pulled my panties on. He looked so sweet.

Suddenly, I realized something. My fucking pink dress. How was I going to get it on? Maybe I could borrow something of Ferb's. I grabbed one of his old T-shirts. I slipped it on over my bare top. It was basically a mini dress on me. But I couldn't walk out in his shirt. Maybe I could just… I eyed the spot on the bed next to Ferb.

It was a bad idea. But it was so late, I was so sleepy, and the bed was calling out to me. I gently lifted the covers and crawled in next to Ferb. I tried to stay away from him, but suddenly, Ferb turned towards me, and his big arm surrounded my body and pulled it close to his. I gasped, but then I realized he was still asleep. He had done it instinctively, in his sleep.

I couldn't help but snuggle against him. As I drifted to sleep in Ferb's arms, everything started turning fuzzy. The last thing I remember hearing in the apartment was… Phineas' voice.

* * *

**There you have it. Only I would take Izzy from a date with Phineas to sleeping with Ferb. But what happens now? Are these two BUSTED?**


	14. Busted

**I hope everybody's ready for what's about to happen... because it probably isn't what you think.**

* * *

I wish I could wake up to something natural for once in my life. Birds gently chirping or the sun's rays landing on my face. Instead, I grew up with Dad's bizarre singing to himself or Phineas' preset alarm clock, and now, I'm in the heart of the city. So it's far more likely to awake because of traffic or noisy neighbors.

The cars woke me up today. They were especially noisy. An accident or something must have occurred. I groggily opened my eyes. I was too tired to get up. Thankfully, today was Sunday. I would be able to rest for a little while before Phineas decided to do anything today. I yawned and turned to the other side of my bed.

"Good morning."

I fell out of my bed. I was so surprised I fell onto the ground, in a tangled mess in my blanket. If I were anybody else, I would've screamed.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" Isabella asked sweetly.

I scrambled to get myself up and untangled. "What are you doing here?" I hissed.

Isabella blushed a little. I looked her over. Why was she here? Why was she wearing my shirt? Where was Phineas? Did she stay here all night? What was she doing here?

Isabella was refusing to look at me again. She finally faced me. I frantically gestured to her outfit. Isabella glanced down at it. "Oh, right, your shirt. Well, you went to sleep, and the dress…" I glanced over at her pink dress. "I can't really put it on by myself." Then how did she wear it last night? "And I was really sleepy, and the bed was right there and… I'm really sorry Ferb! This will never happen again!"

"I can't believe you!" I declared. "You slept over? Do you want Phineas to find out? I mean, what's the matter with you? Are you in love with me?"

"What?" Isabella said.

My eyes opened wide. I didn't mean to say that. I swear I didn't. I was super annoyed about what she did. And that last question happened to correspond to my thoughts on why she did it. Thoughts that were totally obscure and inaccurate. I awkwardly ran my hands through my hair. "Forget it." I muttered.

"No." said Isabella haughtily. "No, I'm not."

Now I couldn't look at her. I just couldn't. Meanwhile, she was angry. She grabbed her shoes and dress and her bra, I think. Then, she opened the door and stormed out. I guess Phineas wasn't there. I didn't hear anything. I quickly followed, but she had already left the apartment. God, the girl would rather her love discover her secret than walk a foot away to her house at night, but she's perfectly fine with strolling out there wearing nothing but my shirt in the morning. Women.

I figured I might as well change into my clothes and get ready for the day. Everything hurt a little, especially my back. I tried to look at it in the mirror. Damn, oh no, Isabella! She had clawed up my back like an animal. Great. It really stung, but I decided to ignore it.

I ate some cereal for breakfast, before I went looking for Phineas. As soon as I finished chewing, the door opened and he came in, along with Buford and Baljeet. I gave them both smiles. I haven't gotten to spend much "guy time" with anybody recently.

"Hey, you're up!" Phineas said brightly. "I can't believe you slept so late. When I got home last night, I think you were already asleep." I gulped. "Then again, I came pretty late. I was hanging with Byoof and Jeet at his place."

"Hey man!" Buford said.

"So what are we doing today, Phineas and Ferb?" asked Baljeet.

"Why don't I ever get to pick?" whined Buford.

"Ok, Buford, you can pick today." Said Phineas.

"I know, I'll take all you sissies down to the gym. You need the training." Said Buford.

"No thank you, Buford." Complained Baljeet.

"Come on! Don't you want some actual muscles to impress your little girlfriend?" Buford questioned.

Baljeet glanced down at his arms, which could be compared to chicken bones. "Alright." He said begrudgingly. "Phineas and Ferb?"

"That's sounds fun, right Ferb?" Phineas said. I nodded complacently.

After getting to the gym, I can't say we had a lousy time. I quite enjoyed hanging out with the guys. We played basketball and Buford coerced us into doing the things he loves, like lifting weights. Between the activities and the musky air of the workout rooms, we actually got sweaty. It was a good thing we brought a change of clothes. We were changing in the men's locker room. Luckily, there weren't many, in fact, almost zero, other sweaty men in there besides us.

"I feel mighty enough to climb another mountain!" Baljeet said boldly, as we changed.

"You see, you wimps, you don't HAVE to be as pathetic as you seem." Buford said.

"Buford, be nice." Said Phineas.

I turned my back towards them, but I smiled. I like it when we just hang out. It's pressure free. I listened to their playful banter as I changed. They kept babbling; I wasn't really listening. I had just taken off my shirt, when I heard Buford whistle, like he was impressed with something.

"Damn Ferb, who have you been riding?" He said.

Shit. SHIT SHIT SHIT! I pulled my new shirt on and tried to face the guys without turning red, like nothing had happened. All three of them were staring at me; Baljeet looked surprised, Buford looked gleeful, and Phineas looked confused.

"I… I'm not sure what you're talking about, Buford." I stammered.

"Ha, don't even try it!" Buford pulled my shirt up again. "I don't think these are 'self-inflicted'." He poked one of the scratches and I let out a little hiss of pain.

Phineas stared at me. "Ferb?" He asked. He sounded so hurt. Oh my god, I had betrayed him. What was wrong with me?

Buford clapped his hands together like he had just won a million dollars. "Ferb's been a bad boy, hasn't he? Finally, one of you has grown a spine. So, who'd you bang?"

"You didn't feel like this was worth telling us, Ferb?" Phineas asked sadly.

"Does this mean your relationship is better than mine?" Baljeet asked.

"Let me guess. Was it that girl you made friends with? Wynne? Or that one you've been chasing? Vanessa? Was it someone we don't even know? OR was it someone we DO know? Was it Gretchen? Did you hump Gretchen?" Buford cried.

"Quit being vulgar Buford." Said Baljeet.

"I know, it was Ginger!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Baljeet yelled as he flew at Buford.

Buford started running from his angry friend. "And you slept with Ginger just to mess with Baljeet!"

"You should have told me!" declared Phineas. "I tell you everything!"

"Will all three of you just shut up already!" I shouted. The guys froze in their positions. Thank goodness, they were giving me a migraine.

"Who did you sleep with?" They all said together.

I scratched my head. Now, what was I going to say? I couldn't just lie. "Alright, before you say anything, I DON'T have a girlfriend, and I did not have sex with ANY of the girls Buford listed." I ran my hands through my hair. "I sort of, set up a deal, with one of my friends."

"Not Ginger?" Baljeet timidly asked.

I shook my head. "One of my SINGLE friends."

"Wait, so you have a fuck buddy?" Buford asked in surprise. I nodded slowly. He whistled again.

I turned to Phineas. "And that's why I've been acting strange and secretive recently. I didn't like hiding anything from you, but she really wanted it to be secret. She's probably going to kill me for even telling you guys."

"Why would she?" Phineas piped up. I raised an eyebrow up at him. "We know you have a friend with benefits now. But we don't know anything about her. And we aren't going to mess with you two."

I stared at him in surprise. This isn't really how I thought he'd react. I expected disgust and disappointment.

Phineas seemed to notice my surprise. "Look, bro, I tried to find a way to help you with your girl troubles, but obviously, you're handling it on your own. I'm just glad you told us. And now, you can even tell me if you want me out of the house or anything like that." So telling Phineas might actually reduce my stress. I nodded slowly.

"Cool, let's go home." Said Phineas.

"Hey, do we know her at all?" Baljeet asked as we left.

I was going to shake my head no, but I stayed quiet. They seemed to take it as a no anyway.

"Can you hook me and Phineas up too?" Buford asked. We responded by hitting him.

The guys took the news amazingly well. The only problem was… would Isabella?

* * *

**BUSTED! Well, by the guys. There's still a lot more story to tell. How's Isabella gonna react to the guys finding out? Will the guys learn Ferb's hooking up with Izzy? Review!**


	15. An Angry Lioness

**Okay, last chapter Ferb was busted. What's gonna happen now?**

* * *

"According to this, it says that you're not giving yourself enough free time recently, and that it's time to relax." Adyson declared out loud. "Well, that makes sense. Gretchen always needs to relax."

"This is a waste of time." I muttered under my breath, as I rolled my eyes.

I was having all the girls over to my place today. That's all I needed. Girl time. With NO Phineas and NO Ferb. They could just do whatever the heck they wanted. I never did anything wrong! I was the perfect date! I was the perfect sex partner! And until they realized it, I was perfectly fine with ignoring them.

But once again, the girls decided to do something bizarre. We were checking our horoscopes. Those things are all lies. Anybody could sit and write down some personality traits. And if you really believe that junk, you'll believe that's how you act, no matter what it says. Like when Candace turned emo because of a magazine. Or like how my stupid friends are acting now.

"I heard that!" yelled Adyson. "Izzy!"

"Quit it or you guys aren't getting anything!" I called back. I was in the kitchen, making one of my favorite guilty pleasures: hot chocolate with ice cream. It's got a little bit of everything you could want in a dessert. Normally I don't bother making it for other people, but they were my friends and I was a pushover.

I walked over with a tray and handed one out to everyone. "Now what is so interesting about these horoscopes again?" I said, as I sat down on the ground in front of the couch. Adyson, Holly, Gretchen, and Milly were squished together on it, Ginger was on the recliner, and Katie and I were on the ground on pillows.

"It tells you what to expect day-to-day or in your love life." Adyson replied.

"That's garbage." I replied. "People just make that up online."

Gretchen nodded. "It's true. Horoscopes can be created by anybody with a computer."

Adyson frowned. "You at least have to agree that the general profiles fit people pretty well." She turned to me. "Isabella, what's your sign?"

"Leo." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Leo, Leo…" She muttered under her breath as she scrolled down the webpage she had open on her laptop. "Leos have a cheerful view of life. You are supremely confident with a natural ability to attract attention to yourself. People can't help but respond to your warm glow and you will bask in the sunshine of all the praise and approval that comes your way. Leos make strong leaders and loyal lovers. The negative to Leos is that they can become conceited or self-centered. They hate when people steal their spotlight and they can easily go from gracious leader to arrogant dictator."

"It does not say that!" I said.

"Does too!" Adyson said cheekily, turning the laptop to show me.

"That's exactly what Isabella is like!" declared Holly.

"Holly!" I complained. I had to admit it was kind of accurate.

"And I did not make that up. Obviously, horoscopes make sense." Said Adyson.

"What about compatibility?" asked Ginger.

"Yeah yeah!" said Milly. "Do Isabella and Phineas!"

I covered my face with my hands. "Would you girls just stop?"

"What's Phineas?" Adyson asked.

"I think he's a Leo too. His birthday is just before Isabella's." Gretchen said.

I heard Adyson rapidly typing, and I couldn't help but peek through my fingers, wondering what she would say.

"Two Leos know how to have fun together. But both Leos can be obstinate, and neither is often willing to give up their rule over the jungle. Sometimes, one may find the other obnoxious. Sometimes two Leos work and sometimes they don't."

I sighed. This was basically what I had been thinking about for a long time now. Phineas and I are great friends, but there was no knowing if a romantic relationship between us would ever work.

I spooned my melting ice cream into my mouth. I just wanted to enjoy the sweet taste of comfort in the form of chocolate. Unfortunately, somebody suddenly started banging on my door.

"Uggh, who is that?" Katie complained, covering her ears.

"I have no idea!" I called over the banging.

"OPEN THE DOOR! IT'S BUFORD AND BALJEET!"

"Okay, and now I know. One minute, I'm coming!" I said. I got up and opened the door. Buford almost flew in. "What is it?" I asked them.

"I want no part of this." Baljeet replied, and he walked over to sit next to Ginger and the girls. They were all staring at Buford, who was jiggling around like he had to go to the bathroom, with a creepy smile on his face, like he had a secret.

"What's the matter with you?" I asked.

"I have to tell you something." He whispered.

"Shoot." I said.

"No, THEY…" He gestured towards the girls. "Might hear."

I gave him a strange look. "Okaaaay… " I walked with him into my room and shut the door. "Why can't you tell the girls?"

"Because she might be one of them." He said.

"Who?" I asked suspiciously.

"Ok, so you know how Ferb's been acting weird lately? Sneaking off, acting moody, and flaking on us?" I nodded very slowly. "He's been sleeping with some girl!"

"WHAT!" I screamed. He stared at me. "I mean… what?"

"I know, I couldn't believe it either. He's being friends with benefits with her."

My eye was twitching. I'm sure it was. "How do you know this?"

"He told me. Now, I've already eliminated Vanessa, Wynne, Ginger, and Gretchen. Now, that means it could still be Katie, Holly, Milly, or Adyson, so that's why I-"

"Hold up!" I said, interrupting him. "Did you just say Ferb TOLD you?"

He shrugged. "Well, yeah. He had to. You see, me, Baljeet, and Phineas caught him-"

"Baljeet and Phineas know too?" I exclaimed, interrupting him again.

"Yeah."

AAAHHHGHRGH! He was dead. Dead! I was going to his apartment and strangling him with my bare hands. Then, I'd sell his dead body on the Internet. Under the label: Body Of A Stupid British Friend Who Doesn't Say A Damn Thing But Who Still Can't Keep A Fucking Secret. Then, I'd buy him from myself, and use a flamethrower to…

"Isabella! Yoo hoo!" Buford broke me from my psychotic thoughts. "Are you going to help me find who she is or not?"

"Why would we want to do that? Ferb can do whatever the hell he wants in his free time! It's none of your damn business, Buford Van Stomm!" I was furious, but I said every word in a disgustingly sweet tone. Buford looked scared. Good. I'm one of the only people who can get him to back down sometimes. "You guys should leave now."

Buford ran out of the room. "Time to go, bud."

"Umm, okay. Bye girls! Bye Isabella! Ginger, I am going to call you later!" Baljeet called out as Buford tried to drag him away.

"What was that all about, Isabella?" Gretchen asked as I sat back down.

"Nothing." I said tiredly. I sat down again, and picked up my mug. It was cold and all the ice cream had melted away. Whatever.

I tried to get back into the conversation, but I couldn't. I just couldn't. I felt tears in my eyes. Ferb, of all people, had betrayed me. He had broken Rule 1. I suddenly turned towards the girls.

"Hey guys, guess what? I have a friend-with-benefits!"

* * *

**Oh man, what's next? What is she doing? Only I know. Because I'm magical. *Turns into a flying unicorn and soars away***

**Remember to review!**

**-Silver**


	16. Apology Accepted

**Egad, what's this? I kept thou hanging for a week? How unlike me. I am working very hard on my stuff, which unfortunately includes real life. And this got to 100 reviews! Huzzah! I knew the Phineas and Ferb community wanted more Ferbella and apparently more "M" stuff. Yay? Time to get into Ferb's head during said stuff. Which is hard for me as a writer. Keep the reviews up. And yes, I will stop talking weird.**

* * *

She was mad at me, again. I was used to it. Isabella has basically been mad at me for half her life, for no distinctive reason. Except for maybe she thinks that my mere existence supposedly keeps Phineas away from her. I don't think I'm the problem here.

I wasn't angry when she told me what she had done. It was more of a silent display of dismay and worry. Of course, she looked just about ready to kill me. It wasn't my fault; Buford had caught me, with witnesses. I didn't lie and I didn't give anything away. But, of course, I could have predicted how she'd act. What I didn't predict was that she told the Fireside girls the secret.

"If you got to tell the guys, then I totally have the right to have told the girls."

That was her logic. Which was hardly logic. Did it ever occur to her that a single conversation, between the girls and guys, would lead to both parties knowing Isabella and I happened to have started this "friends with benefits" thing at the exact same time? And it wouldn't take much deductive reasoning to do the math and connect the dots. And then we'd really be busted.

"Okay, Ferb. I'm going out. And I won't be back for a looong time." Phineas said to me, while winking.

I winced. This was Phineas' cue to me that I could have my "girlfriend" over. And it was weird and creepy in so many ways. I really didn't like how Phineas knows but doesn't know about Isabella. I'd rather be completely honest or hide it completely. And it's also weird having him know about my sex life when I'm still secretly wondering about the blonde Isabella mentioned.

The apartment door shut, meaning Phineas had left, and I collapsed on the couch. I'm beginning to think that I'm no longer insightful. I barely know what's going on with my friends. Isabella and Phineas are both keeping things from me. Buford, well, he's always been a mess of lies. I think he has trouble hiding his sensitive side or maintaining his bully side. And Baljeet has been spending all his time whispering away to Ginger. They worry me the most, actually. They're so close and smart that a single conversation on this topic of friends with benefits and they'll know about what Isabella and I are doing.

Anyway, Phineas was making it extremely easy for Isabella to come over. Which was almost making it… boring. I supposed I should fetch her now. I walked across the hall and gently knocked on the door. For a split second, the door opened and I saw Isabella's face. But then, she saw mine, and slammed the door shut. I groaned and banged on the door.

"Go away!" She yelled.

I sighed, and knocked again, softly. "Isabella?"

"Get out!" She yelled.

"I'm not even in!" I said in protest.

"Leave!" She ordered.

She could be so exasperating. All I wanted to do was patch things up. And here she was, ordering me around. To purposely be annoying, I started drumming on the door. I wasn't playing a song, but it still sounded pretty catchy. I heard Isabella do some sort of annoyed scream-groan. Well, at least she was coming to the door.

She opened it again. She looked about as angry as a cat that's just had water thrown all over it. I awkwardly smiled at her.

"Phineas isn't home, right?" Isabella said. I shook my head. "Uggh, so what now, is he going to give you 'permission' all the time?" I shrugged. "And what? You thought you were going to get lucky tonight?"

I shook my head. "I just don't want you to be mad at me."

"Too late." She whipped around and almost hit me in the face with her hair. She snootily walked into her apartment. I followed her and shut the door. She sat on the couch and crossed her arms over her chest. I sat next to her.

I looked down into my hands. "Isabella, I don't want to fight with you anymore. I feel like all this has been my fault. It's my fault everyone knows now. I'm truly sorry."

"Apology accepted." She said in a cold voice.

I glanced up at her. "Yet I don't feel forgiven."

Isabella sighed and turned towards me. "Ferb, you don't even know how I felt when I found out you told the guys. And to hear it, not from you, but from Buford!"

"I didn't get a chance to tell you." I replied.

She glared at me. "Still! I felt so completely… betrayed. I couldn't help but blurt out the same thing in anger. I understand that you were put in a tough spot, Ferb. But, I don't want Phineas, or anybody, to know. It's just…"

She sniffled, and I put my arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry." I whispered.

I don't understand what she's feeling, and yet I do. I don't know exactly what's making her angry or sad, but I understand how she feels. It's the mess of emotions that comes with secrecy, or friendships, or love.

Isabella seemed to get over her issue quite quickly, going from sniffles back to normal without shedding a tear. She tilted her head towards me. "Ferb, you're the best."

"I am." I said jokingly. Isabella broke out into giggles and I found myself laughing lightly. I glanced over at her and she looked at me, and then I was totally caught off guard. Because she kissed me. Isabella kissed me.

It wasn't the most passionate kiss we had ever shared, or the most innocent. Her eyes were closed, and her hands were snaking up my chest to wrap around the back of my neck. I was kissing back, but at the same time I was watching her. Because for some reason I feel like we might be wandering into uncharted waters this time.

Isabella broke away from me. She was panting a little, but she had a pretty big smile on her face. "Do you… you wanna… my bedroom?" She said eagerly.

I nodded slowly, and watched as she readily leapt of the couch, and beckoned me. I actually felt a little nervous. Okay, she just wanted to do what we always did, right? It was another meaningless kiss.

I went into the bedroom. Isabella sat on the bed. She had a small smile on her face. I sat down next to her and pulled her hair out of her face. Isabella gently scooted closer and began unbuttoning my shirt.

"I can't believe how nervous I was the first time." She muttered.

"You weren't the only one." I said under my breath.

"What?" She said. She looked up at me. Her big blue eyes were sparkling. "You were nervous too?"

"I was terrified." I chuckled.

"Really? You never ever seem like it, no matter what's going on." She seemed happy that I told her this. Maybe I should have told her a long time ago. It would've prevented all these fights.

"I guess that's my fault then." I said thoughtfully.

I finished undressing. Meanwhile, Isabella took off her dress so that she was just in her undergarments. Then she perfectly slid each bra strap down before she unhooked it. The tease.

I crawled towards her and we started kissing again. Isabella pushed her bare chest against me and I groaned. Isabella moaned as I kissed her and pulled off her panties.

I couldn't pull my lips away from Isabella's, but my fingers gently outlined her body.

"Mmm… Ferb… please… I want you… mmm… oh Ferb." Isabella moaned.

I slowly slid in and started. Isabella's bed was squeaking AGAIN. But I couldn't care less. Isabella really had me acting rough with her. She wrapped her legs around my hips and I sank deeper inside of her.

"Ferb… Ferb… FERB…"

I don't know why, but hearing my name always tips me over the edge. I released and collapsed next to her. We were quiet for a few minutes before Isabella started giggling. I flipped to face her, confused.

"You better feel forgiven now."

* * *

**Derp. Here's a question. Is there something, and I mean something NOT FILTHY, you want to happen in this story? Now's a good time to answer. Also, "I Hate High School" will resume sometime this week. So reviews will account for 90% of which of my 3 stories are updated (the other 10% being my own preference that day)... so reviews = updates!**

**Love, Silver**


	17. Seeing Green

**Dang, I'm trying so hard to be on top of these stories and failing. Well, I had a cruddy weekend, so I didn't do anything productive. Please keep reading and reviewing!**

* * *

I like that things are going pretty well now. I'm not fighting with Ferb, the gang still has no clue what's going on, and the dream of ending up with Phineas is still alive. Even work isn't SO bad. Although sometimes I feel like I have trouble focusing. All the pointless Internet time wasters that exist were distracting me. My laptop is becoming a breeding ground for downloads and social networking.

Actually, right now, I was super bored. I was just scrolling through pages of junk. What to do when you're bored… I have no idea. I could really go for unnecessary calories right now. Suddenly, something popped up on the bottom of my screen. An instant message? Well, that sure is retro. Well, saying "retro" is retro too.

**Ferb:** Hey.

I smiled to myself. What was that goofball doing?

**Isabella:** Hey yourself. Y on earth are u IM-ing me?

**Ferb:** Saw you were online. Shouldn't you be working?

**Isabella:** Err… shouldn't u?

**Ferb:** I am. But today I'm working at Flynn-Fletcher Antiques, behind the counter.

**Isabella:** Business slow?

**Ferb:** And computer old. What about you?

**Isabella:** I'm kinda sorta working kinda. I really need some kind of chocolate in my system though. I'll die without it!

**Ferb:** We wouldn't want that.

"Whatcha' doin'?"

I jumped to see Kyle staring over my shoulder. "Nothing!" I clicked out of the screen.

"Isabella, instant messaging at work? I'm ashamed of you." Kyle teased.

"Okay, well, did anyone ever tell you that it's wrong to spy on people's conversations? Or that you're annoying?" I snapped.

Kyle jumped up on the corner of my desk. "Now that second one might have come up in conversation before."

"Quit it!" I whined. "You'll break my desk."

"Okay, okay!" He said, putting his hands up. He glanced at his watch. "Quittin' time!"

I noticed other people getting up to go as well. Good, I was tired of the boredom. I wrapped myself in my trench coat and grabbed my purse.

"Umm… mind if I walk down with you?" Kyle asked nervously.

I stared at him. "No."

We walked towards the door and the parking lot silently. It was actually a little awkward. Why? It didn't need to be. I had enough awkward in my life already. I opened the door, and we both stepped out.

"Could I walk you outside too?" Kyle asked.

"Kyle, if you have something to say, just say it already." I declared.

He shuffled around embarrassedly. "Umm… Isabella…"

Suddenly, we heard a loud rumble of thunder. In the split second after it, rain began pouring down. It was coming down so hard it was practically smacking us.

"Oh, I'm getting soaked!" I shrieked. I attempted to cover my head with my hand.

"I know!" Kyle said.

"Why don't you have an umbrella or something?" I said.

"Why don't you?" He countered.

"I don't know! Normally, someone else, like Fer-"

"Look!" He pointed forward.

A man had walked all the way up to us. He was bundled up in a coat and holding an umbrella. I had never been so happy to see an umbrella in my life. He stuck it over my head so that both of us were under it.

"Hey." I said, smiling at him.

"Hey." Ferb said back.

"Hey?" said Kyle. "Hello? Uh, still getting soaked here. Yo, Romeo and Juliet!"

I shook my head and stopped gazing at Ferb. Ferb glanced over at Kyle. If I didn't know better, I would've said he looked a little peeved Kyle was here.

"Sorry Kyle. Did you bring your car?" I asked Ferb. He nodded. "Let's go. Kyle, you want a ride?"

"Sure." He answered.

We all got into the car and started driving. I found myself gazing dreamily at Ferb again. Why was he here? How is it that he's always there when I need him? How does he always manage to save the day?"

"Why are you here, Ferb?" I asked.

He picked something up and shyly handed it to me. I glanced down at it.

"Chocolate! Just because I said I wanted some? Ferb, you are the sweetest boy in the world!" I exclaimed.

Ferb blushed. "It was nothing."

"Yeah, it was nothing. I can get you chocolates whenever you want, Isabella. Just ask." Kyle remarked.

Ferb glanced at him and scoffed. Oh boy, I'm getting the feeling these two aren't hitting it off.

"Iz, I thought you were single." Kyle said.

I blushed. "I am."

"So it's normal for Green to be bringing you flowers and chocolates during the day?"

"Well, yeah." I said.

"I guess that's why you said it's 'complicated' between you guys, huh?" He said.

"Kyle, shut up." I commanded.

"What else do you say about me, Isabella?" Ferb cheekily whispered.

"You shut up too." I whispered.

"Don't think I can't hear you two whispering." Kyle said.

"God, will you guys just shut up?" I said.

We stopped at what I think was Kyle's house. This was the address he gave me, and that I gave Ferb.

"Fine." Kyle said. "I'll shut up. I'll walk out there in the pouring rain, while you two snuggle in here. All romantical. See you around, FERB." He said haughtily, and he slammed the door shut.

"Lovely chap." Ferb remarked.

I groaned and got out of the car (with the umbrella!) and followed Kyle. "Why are you mad?"

Kyle sighed. "I wanted to ask you out today."

I gaped at him. "You did?"

"Yeah, but how can I when you have Prince William over there bringing you chocolate at your demand?" Kyle complained.

I laughed a little. "He's my friend."

"You say that now." He grumbled. "Do you want to go out? On a date? With me?"

I sighed. "Kyle, you're a great friend. And I really like you. But not like that. And I don't want you to become another one of my guy friends who secretly like me."

"Aha! So Ferb does like you!" He exclaimed.

"No!" I cried. "Not him! There're others. Plus, I'm actually really in love with somebody right now…"

"Ferb! It's Ferb, isn't it?"

"No!" I cried. "Not him! What's the matter with you?"

"He's staring at us." Kyle replied. "Right now."

"What?" I turned. He was staring at us. But what else was he supposed to do? He was parked and waiting for me. At least the rain had slowed down.

"Oh Kyle. Maybe, if I can get all this sorted out, maybe we can go out." I sighed.

"Really?" He seemed to brighten up.

"Really." I smiled. I gently kissed his cheek.

HONK!

"Motherfucker!" Kyle covered his ears.

"Ferb!" I yelled. That car horn was really loud. "Bye Kyle." I waved and got back in the car.

"What the hell was that for?" I asked Ferb.

"Hmm?"

"Uh, hello? Honking at us?" I said.

"Just trying to speed up the process." Ferb replied. He wasn't making eye contact with me.

I stared at him for a second. My mouth dropped open when I realized what was going on. "You're jealous! Of me and Kyle!"

Ferb shook his head.

"You are so!" I said indignantly.

I was super happy inside. So I wasn't the only jealous one. So I wasn't losing my mind by following Ferb on that date. Apparently jealously comes with being friends with benefits… I hope.

"Oh, quit trying to deny it, Mr. Cool. If it makes you feel any better, he's jealous of you too." I joked.

"He should be." Ferb replied.

I glanced at him. He wiggled his eyebrows at me. I laughed.

"Keep your eyes on the road," I giggled. "Green."

* * *

**I can't be the only one who finds jealousy super fun in stories right? I mean, in real life, whether you're jealous, or your boyfriend's jealous, or anybody else is, it sucks. But when writing? In goes the jealousy! Keep on reading. I know exactly what's going to happen next chapter. No questions will be answered and several may be raised.**

**Toodles, Silver**


	18. Meredith

**An update, ta da! Okay, so am I the only nerd who was thoroughly irritated with "Troy Story"? They could've done a better job! As if Phineas could ever pass for the disgusting wife stealer that is Paris! I guess I could always go with my own interpretation that Ferb is Menelaus, and eventually he gets his Isabella, a.k.a Helen, back from Troy. I hope nobody is judging me FOR judging. I just really love the story of the Iliad. I also read a really awesome book that told the whole thing through Cassandra's point of view. Cassandra is Hector's sister and one of King Priam of Troy's many children. She was blessed with the power to see the future but cursed so that no one would ever believe her. Uh, can anyone say "Candace"? I hope you've learned something here today. And that is... Disney will never be able to portray Greek literature correctly.**

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"She's wrong." I declared, as I scribbled down some ideas Phineas and I could execute, but I couldn't concentrate. And I guess I was a little upset because my pencil punched straight through the paper.

Wynne groaned as she flipped through the TV channels. "You've said that a million times. Why don't you just accept the fact that what she said is true?"

"She's wrong." I repeated.

"Why do I have to listen to you vent all the time?" She lightheartedly complained.

"If it didn't involve her, I would be speaking with Isabella about these things." I stated.

"Right. And how come you pick me over all your other friends?" She asked.

"Because you don't have a rigid opinion of me yet." I said.

"And I guess that's why you don't feel like being quiet."

I paused for a moment. She was right. I felt obligated to be quiet around everyone else. I nodded and sat down on her couch next to her.

"So, is she still wrong?" Wynne lightly asked.

"Yes!" I insisted.

Isabella was completely wrong. I wasn't jealous. With me, jealousy is a very distinct, unpleasant feeling. Like, I literally feel like boiling over when I think about "Monty" with my Vanessa. There was no way I was jealous of Isabella's douche-y stupid friend, and how he completely stepped on our little moment out there in the rain, and… okay, well, even if I was jealous, why would I be? There's no reason. I don't have feelings for Isabella. She's just my friend. I don't get it.

"It's not like it's a crime, Ferb." Wynne said. "She was jealous enough to come out on our date."

"Isabella is just like that sometimes." I replied.

Wynne laughed. "Oh my gosh, you just want to have one-up on her! Like you're the better person because you didn't get jealous and she did!"

"That is not true." I said.

Wynne was still laughing. "It's totally true! You guys are like, in some kind of weird competition, and the loser is the one who breaks down and admits they're in love first."

I glared at her. What on Earth is going on in her head? That is, by far, the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

"You two are completely and totally in love with each other." She stated. I shook my head angrily. "Then what IS going on, Ferb?"

I frowned a little, searching for my response. "We're just… testing a theory."

"Uh-huh." She said, rolling her eyes.

"You do know that everything I say to you is in confidence." I said.

"Hey, I didn't involve myself. You two pulled me into this." I glared at her again. "What? Okay, I promise I'll tell no one."

I got up to leave. Wynne flashed me a creepy smile as I left her apartment. You know, I was in a deep hole, and I was digging myself in deeper. WHY would I tell Wynne all these things? Sure, she didn't know Isabella and I were sleeping together, but let's just say she found out I had a friend-with-benefits, from say Phineas, and then she realized that I had been talking about Isabella a lot, and then she found out Isabella said she had a friend-with-benefits… the whole thing was actually obvious.

But the thing is, I was venting. Only a sweet girl friend would care about these stupid problems and opinions, and I didn't have that many girl friends. I couldn't talk about Vanessa WITH Vanessa. That's why I would usually talk to Isabella. And now I can't talk to Isabella about Isabella. So, Wynne's my girl. I wasn't about to tell the guys that Isabella thinks I'm jealous of her and her stupid co-worker. What would they think? Actually, they might think the same thing Wynne did. That I loved Isabella. Which is NOT true.

They're both wrong. Isabella and Wynne. Women. I'm fed up with women in general. I headed up to my apartment. I'm just going to hang out with Phineas all night.

Ding! The elevator opened, and I got out. Suddenly, to my surprise, the door to my apartment was opening… and out came a girl. An extremely attractive girl.

I scrambled into a corner, hoping she wouldn't see me. She was a little shorter than Isabella, she had very tan skin, a brunette pixie cut, and she was wearing a tight red track suit. Then, my brother came out with her. My eyes opened wide. What exactly was going on?

"Bye, Phineas." She said sweetly. She pulled him in for a quick hug.

"Yeah, bye Meredith." He said.

"Phineas, it was absolutely ahh-may-zing." She said, drawing out the last word. Oh god, I think I'm going to be sick. "You're so talented."

Phineas blushed. "It was nothing, Merry. So, when should we meet up?"

"Hmm," she said. "Tomorrow, say around 3:30? I'll just come back here, and then we can go to my favorite bakery."

"Sounds like a plan." He replied.

"Oh wait, Phineas, did you see my purse?" She glanced around.

"It must still be inside." He said. He opened the door and they both walked inside.

OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! I ran to Isabella's door and started banging on it. "Isabella, Isabella, Isabella!" I loudly whispered. "Open the door!"

She opened the door. "What's…" I pushed her inside as quickly as I could, and then shut the door. "…going on?"

I paced around the room, wide-eyed. "Oh my god!" I repeated to myself.

"What?" She asked desperately.

I wasn't sure how to tell her this. "I saw… a girl… coming out of our apartment… with Phineas."

"Oh my god!" Isabella exclaimed. "You saw her! That little hussy Minka!"

"No! It was another girl. She was tan, a little short, and had short brown hair."

"Holy…what were they doing?" She yelled.

I winced. "Her name was Meredith, she said he was 'amazing' and 'talented', he blushed, and they made a date for tomorrow at 3:30."

Isabella sank into her couch. "I can't believe it." She whimpered.

I sat next to her. "Me either." I felt upset. And angry. "So he's not oblivious. He's been dating, and sleeping with, random girls all this time! How dare he complain that I'VE been keeping secrets!"

"Ferb, it's okay. Remember what you told me? You just saw somebody leaving. You don't know the whole story." Isabella said in a faint voice.

"And how dare he treat YOU so poorly! Hanging around these sluts and basically ignoring the most beautiful girl in the world! I can't believe him! I…"

Isabella threw her arms around me in a hug. She snuggled her head into my chest, and slowly, I wrapped my arms around her. Poor Isabella. I kissed the top of her head.

"Don't worry. You're right. We don't know the whole story. But maybe, tomorrow, at 3:30, we can find out." I reassured.

Isabella untangled her self from me. "We're going to spy on them?"

"It's not like you've never spied on someone's date before." I said.

"You… you're such a…" Isabella grumbled. "I just don't want to see Phineas out on a date. I don't know if I can handle it."

"I'll be there." I reassured.

"I know." She said. "You'll always be there."


	19. Only Human

**Okay, I literally poured my heart and soul into this chapter because I felt guilty about taking so long, so please review if you want me to work hard on updating. There's a stunning 58 followers for this story, but I'm not expecting 58 reviews, just... review if you like it. And to my darling Guests, please scribble something down there as a name so I can tell you apart.**

**-Silver**

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I glanced at my clock for what felt like the billionth time. 3:15. Where the heck was he? Ferb was supposed to get to my place before this second mystery girl showed up. He was literally across the hallway!

My head was doing loop-de-loops right now. What exactly is going on? Was Ferb actually jealous the other day? Should I go out with Kyle? And what the heck is Phineas doing? I can't help missing the days where I could go out with some random guy without already having a relationship with him, and if I had to, I could slam a piece of cake into his face, then never see him again.

I seriously don't feel like spying on Phineas and his date. I'll die. I'm not kidding, I'll die. Because I don't know what I might see. If I see Phineas and his date having a super fun time, that means that on our little "date" thing, the problem wasn't just Phineas, and that we have no chemistry together. If Phineas and his date have a boring time, then that just means Phineas is never going to put a hundred percent into being a boyfriend. And if Phineas and his date do anything even close to inappropriate, that means that A) he's not the sweet innocent boy we think he is, and that B) he is not attracted to me in any way, otherwise he would have reacted to my flirting.

I can't even decide which outcome is scariest. And any way it turns out, my perception of Phineas will probably change. Ferb's did. Ferb was completely furious with him. I could just tell by the way he talked about it. I understand, but at the same time, Phineas understood and accepted the fact that Ferb was "sleeping around". So I don't know why Ferb's especially upset. Maybe he feels Phineas betrayed ME.

He would think like that. Ferb's a genuinely good person. It's almost impossible to describe. He's like God; he doesn't judge, or do anything with bad intentions, or get overly emotional, or say much. But I want to get that thought out of my head now, because no matter what religion you are, you can't say somebody is God, when he's your best friend, and you have sex with him. Yeah. Thought erased.

I heard a knock at the door and I jumped. It's probably Ferb. At last. I walked over and answered it.

"You're late."

He shrugged and walked inside. He looked down at his phone, I think for the address of wherever the heck Phineas and his floozy were.

"You were supposed to wear black!" I whined.

Ferb stared at me in confusion.

"You know," I said. "Because spies wear black."

Ferb chuckled.

"Ferb!" I stomped my foot down.

"Do you want me to go change?" He asked, still laughing a little.

"Forget it." I said, as I grabbed a jacket and opened the door. My jacket was hot pink. There goes my spy color scheme.

"Don't think I didn't recognize your outfit, Isabella." Ferb said, as we walked into the elevator.

"Huh?" I glanced down. Oh. I felt a blush creep into my cheeks. "Skinny jeans."

He gently put his hand on my thigh. "An old enemy…" He slid it down my leg. I moaned. All I could smell was Ferb; which is that same amazing mix between Irish soap, cologne, and motor oil. He had me backed against the elevator wall, with only centimeters separating our bodies. "…That I will someday conquer."

His eyes met mine and all I could do was gaze into them. Oh my god. This boy has made me lose my mind. Normally, in this situation, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro would be doing one of two things; crying her eyes out that Phineas is on a date or trying to inspire herself to be Phineas' next date. She would never, ever, EVER be back against the wall, with Ferb Fletcher over her, and about to be kissing, and necking, and possibly much more with him, in a public elevator. Nope. The real Isabella would never do that. So why am I throwing my arms around his neck right now?

Just then the elevator made that annoying little ding, and Ferb pulled away from me as the doors opened. Damn it! I guess the little "real" Isabella in my head got what she wanted. She probably kept me from doing something with him I shouldn't have, something scandalous. And something I think I secretly really wanted to do.

"So, uh, where are we going?" I asked. I fluffed my hair back to normal, and ran to keep up with him.

"Dawn's Bakery." He pointed up ahead.

"Oh, slow down! It's right there." I stopped and panted a little. Wow, he walks fast. I was practically sweating trying to keep up with him. "How do you know this is the right place?" I pulled my jacket off slowly. Ferb was watching me. "Ferb? Hey! Is this the right place?"

He shook his head. "Huh? It is. I sex. I MEAN," He turned bright red. "I checked."

I stared at him for maybe a millisecond before I burst out into laughter. He was totally red and embarrassed and I couldn't stop laughing at his little slip of the tongue. I finally stopped when people started staring and I felt poor Ferb had enough.

"Okay, big boy, I think you've had enough torture." I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the bakery.

Turns out it wasn't just a bakery, it was also a restaurant. And it was really full. I wondered if we would even get a table. Of course, that didn't matter if…

"Holy Phineas!" I exclaimed, pointing at him. He was sitting at a table really close to the bakery counter… with a girl who was distinctly not Minka. Crap.

They weren't dressed up or anything. I mean, she was wearing cargo pants! But they were sitting and eating something and talking. Actually, they had about two-dozen different pieces of cake in front of them. Well, that didn't matter right now. We just had to get out of their line of sight before anybody realized anything. I searched for an empty table, but I couldn't find one. Of course, then Ferb found one and we sat down.

I looked at everybody happily eating. I kind of wanted something too. But then I noticed that there were no waiters. You had to walk up to the counter and order what you wanted. And the counter was way too close to Phineas.

"Aww, we can't even get anything to eat!" I complained. "And you were right. As usual. Although it looks pretty innocent. Although, if this is a date, he must have bought her every single flavor of cake on the menu."

"Uh-huh." Ferb said quietly, looking out the window.

I giggled. "Oh please, don't tell me you're still embarrassed!"

"I wasn't… embarrassed." He said, trying to shrug it off.

"Shut up Ferb! You were jealous, and you were embarrassed, and you were horny! You're only human." I declared.

"Stop it." He hissed. "I'm not like that."

"Ferb, all guys are like that. You are a male. With a male brain. And male emotions." He seemed to slump a little. I guess he already knows this is true, and he doesn't want to admit it. "So," I smirked. "Why'd you feel so frisky today you were prepared to feel me up in an elevator?"

"Isabella, I'm not… I didn't…" He stammered. More excuses.

"No way. No excuses. Tell me." I said.

"I don't know!" He exclaimed. I stared at him. Yeah, waiter, check please, because my Ferb has gone insane! I could tell by the way his eye was practically twitching.

"You don't have to but," I started timidly. "Do you feel like telling me what's bothering you?"

"It's you." He whimpered.

"Me?" I said. "What did I do?"

"Nothing." He paused. "And everything! It's everything you do. When you kiss me or you say my name… you've made me lose my mind. The real Ferb Fletcher is madly in love with Vanessa. The real Ferb Fletcher doesn't keep secrets from Phineas. He's logical and practical and quiet, and you've turned him into somebody perverted and envious and cheeky and… passionate."

My mouth was open. I couldn't think of a thing to say. All I could think of was how similar his thoughts were to mine. And I guess the "real" Ferb and the "real" Isabella have very little power left.

"You alright?" I asked quietly.

"Not really." He muttered.

"Do you want something? I can go get us something." I said.

"What about Phineas?" He asked.

"I don't think he's going to be a problem, considering that he and Girl Number 2 just left in a taxi." I said, as I glanced out the window.

Ferb grasped my hand. "Bella, are you alright?"

Surprisingly, I felt fine. I watched Phineas leave with another girl, and I felt fine. I just nodded and went up to the counter. I bought us some sweet treats and went to sit back down.

"I got you a piece of Doonkelberry pie." I said, sliding it to him.

"That's my favorite." He stated.

I laughed. "I know."

He squinted at me. "Do you only know that because it's Phineas' favorite too?"

"No! That's just a coincidence. And I know a lot of your favorites. I could've gotten you haggis."

"They have haggis?"

I laughed into my hand. "I hope you're joking." He nodded. "Okay, quick, what did I get?"

"Chocolate cake." He said.

"How did you know?" I asked wondrously.

"I can see it." He smiled.

"Dang it."

"But that's not your favorite." He said. "You just seem to be on a chocolate craze recently."

"So what's my favorite?" I asked.

"Red velvet."

I tilted my head at him. "And how do you know that?"

He put down his fork. "Every birthday, every year… red velvet."

"And how do I know that YOU didn't learn that from Phineas?" I countered.

"I didn't."

"How do I know you aren't lying?"

"You have to trust me."

I stared at him. "I do." I finished my last bite of cake. "You need to realize that I don't only pay attention to your brother."

"And you need to realize that we're not just mutual acquaintances through him."

"I know we're not." I grabbed his hand.

"Yeah… we're a lot more." He said slowly.

I blushed. Wait a minute, what the heck were we doing?

"Ferb, you do realize that this could be considered a 'date', right?" I said.

"It… could."

"Well, I mean, you didn't pay for our… oh, Ferb, no!" He was taking out his wallet.

"I'm not taking no for an answer." He said, giving me the money.

"Great, so you made this even more date-like. You buying me food, in a restaurant, the whole sit-down deal. And unless Dawn's has some VERY lively mice, I assume that you're the one I've been playing footsie with this whole time, right?"

He blushed and nodded.

I sighed. "Ferb, we just broke rule 2."

"But we're not dating." He said.

"I know, but…" Oh, who was I kidding? We might as well throw rule 2 out the door with rule 1! And Ferb's birthday was coming up and I was dying to do something special for that.

But Ferb and I are running out of rules to break.


	20. Ferb's Birthday

**SPOILER ALERT: ""Druselsteinoween" was a great recovery from "Troy Story". Hilarious and Halloween-y. I loved Doof, Linda and Lawrence, scaring the crap out of trick-or-treaters. I swear, I was like "SHIT SHIT SHIT!" when Candace and Vanessa showed up in the same costume, and so did Monty and Jeremy. I thought the couples were going to get messed up. Didn't happen, but that would've been hilarious. Also, I think Monogram now thinks Vanessa is a lesbian. Don't you love how I corrupt an innocent show? And OMG, Ferb ships Montessa! He sang a song for them! So Ferbnessa is officially dead! So, my story doesn't work now, but yay! Now I just need to kill Phinabella, *gets weapons ready*, and Ferbella is a go! Of course, the looming "Act Your Age" is coming up. Well, I'm excited for all the Halloweenieness this month! Yeah!**

**Okay, back to my story... this chapter has got it all... I hope. Storyline, character development, fluff, and lemon! The chapter is like 2000 and something words. I say that here, because obviously, I wrote a really long author's note... so that doesn't count for the actual word length. Please review!**

**Love, Silver**

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I'll tell you one thing that's always been true; I can't stand my birthday. I hate it. I wish that everybody would forget about it. It's not really the fact that I'm another year closer to a disgusting old miser; it's that people are celebrating it. Sappy speeches, cheap presents, and everyone I know acting ridiculous from alcohol or sugar highs… what a waste of a day.

But I go along with it. If I didn't, I'd be a huge hypocrite. I throw huge parties for all my friends… not to mention I'm the one who singlehandedly plans Phineas' birthday every year. I just didn't expect one in return.

"Having an awesome birthday, Ferb?" Phineas asked me. "And we finished work early, too!"

I rolled my eyes. He was throwing me a party. In the apartment, as soon as we got home. I had known for weeks. Did anyone really think I wouldn't figure it out? I was the one who cancelled the "amazing" elephant show. Phineas needs to get it into his head that we do not have a backyard anymore. That's it, end of story. If he wanted an elephant circus, he should have had this party at Mom and Dad's.

The elevator opened and Phineas ran out. "You stay here… don't move…" He said excitedly.

I sighed and shrugged and Phineas rushed into the apartment. I could almost sense Phineas shutting everybody up, and then the lights going off. And in five, four, three, two…

"You can come in now Ferb!" I cautiously opened the door.

"SURPRISE!" Everybody screamed.

I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling.

"Yeah, we got him!" Baljeet said. He and Phineas high-fived.

Isabella ran up to me. She was wearing a floaty yellow dress. Yellow is a color I'm rather fond of. I'm so used to seeing her in pink or purple. "Happy Birthday!" she said. She put something on my head. It was a plastic crown, with the words "Birthday Boy!" on it. Why my friends love ridiculous things like this, I'll never know, but I wore it anyway.

"Time to party!" Buford screamed.

Instantly, music started blaring. People rushed into the living room, where a dance floor, complete with DJ and lights, was set up. In the kitchen, food and beverages were set up. The party was great, except there were a large number of people crammed into one medium apartment.

"Come on!" Isabella grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the dance floor. People kept trying to catch me as I walked though.

"Hey Ferb, happy birthday!" said Katie.

"Thanks." I said.

"Ferb, you rock!" said Django.

"You too." I said.

"Happy Birthday Ferbie! I love you so much!" Mom said.

"Love you too, Mum!" I called.

I was the center of attention in a small space. Everyone wanted to wish me a happy birthday as I passed by: Candace, Jeremy, Stacy, Irving, Albert, the Fireside girls, Wynne, etc. I just kept my fingers tightly interlocked with Isabella's, not wanting to lose her in the crowd. Despite all the noise, she was still talking to me.

"I know you're the music genius, but we got a killer mix and DJ!" She said loudly, turning her head back to me as we walked. "We all know you're the best dancer in Danville, so…"

"Ferb?"

Isabella had stopped walking, and I almost crashed into her. Who said my name? I looked to see who was in front of Isabella. Vanessa. Oh boy.

She smiled softly at me. "Happy Birthday."

"Thank you." I said awkwardly.

I followed Vanessa's eyes as they flitted towards my hand… that was attached to Isabella's. I quickly pulled my hand away.

Isabella blushed, and awkwardly rubbed her arm. "Hi Vanessa."

"Hi." Vanessa said warmly. "Isabella, right?"

"Right." Isabella said.

"Well, uh… the party is awesome!" Vanessa said. "Right, Monty?"

Some tall, muscular, and strangely square looking man walked up next to her. "Right. Happy Birthday, dude. I'm Monty."

I had absolutely no idea what to say. Luckily, Isabella grabbed me again. "We're going to go dance."

"Okay. Bye Ferb!" I heard Vanessa say as we hurried away.

"Are you okay?" Isabella asked tentatively.

"I…"

Buford interrupted me. He shoved two of the ever cliché disposable red cups in our hands. "My own special concoction. You'll like it, I swear."

"Buford, it's his birthday. I don't think he wants everybody to get drunk." Isabella said.

I glanced down at what was in the cup, and downed it in one gulp. "Thanks. I needed that." I said, giving it back to the stunned Buford.

Isabella raised an eyebrow at me. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to enjoy my birthday party." I said. "I don't care what Vanessa is up to." I declared.

I suddenly flew out onto the dance floor, doing what I did best; dancing. People cheered a little for me, and then joined in. I caught Isabella and spun her around. She laughed and started dancing with me. She has such a beautiful laugh.

We kept dancing together. When a fast song came, Buford, or Baljeet, or the rest of the group would join us. And when the songs were calm, she would slow-dance with me, and I would listen to the endless Isabella thoughts she has.

Suddenly, I felt a poke in the back. "Hi Ferb!" Adyson said, standing there.

Isabella pulled her arms away from me slowly. "Hey Adyson. Where's Toby?"

"Busy." She said in a pouty voice. "Anyway, Isabella, I can't believe you! Are you going to hog the birthday boy all night?"

Isabella blushed. "Oh no, I wasn't trying to…"

"You've literally been the only girl to dance with him all night!" she said.

I realized it was true. Isabella was blushing very brightly.

"Isabella," Adyson said cattily. "Why don't you go find Phineas?"

"Phineas… right." She said. She was about to run off when we all heard a microphone.

"Testing… testing…" It was Phineas. "Okay, it's time for what everybody's been waiting for!"

"CAKE!" Screamed somebody.

Phineas laughed. "Okay, yes, cake. First, my brother, that dashing dude you call Ferb, has to blow out the candles."

Everyone was suddenly staring at me, and I found myself being pushed to the front of the room. Phineas was lighting the candles.

"SPEECH!" That same person screamed. Whoever that is, they're banned from my parties for life.

"All I want to say is that I'm very grateful for this party, and for such loving friends and family. This has indeed been a happy birthday."

People screamed and cheered. They're easily impressed. Phineas turned off the lights, and then everybody was singing to me. I bent down. What to wish for? I can't say I believe in this stuff, but at the same time, I can't say I don't. All I want is for everything to work out. For there to be a happy ending. I closed my eyes and blew out the candles.

"YAY!" Everybody cheered, and Phineas started cutting into the cake. And before I could say anything, he had shoved a piece in my mouth. Everybody laughed. Ha ha. I had to wipe cake off my face now.

I left the crowd of cake-buzzards, and went into my bedroom. I grabbed a napkin and wiped the cake from my face.

"Knock knock!" I turned to see Isabella standing there. She came in and shut the door. "Having a good time?" I shrugged. I noticed she had something in her hands. "I know Phineas said that there wasn't enough time to open presents at the actual party, but I had to give this to you."

I took it and slowly unwrapped it. It was a book. On string theory. I glanced up at her and smiled. She wasn't looking at me; she was talking.

"I know that a book might seem like the lamest thing ever, but I saw this and thought of you, and it's actually really good. I read it and it helped me understand what you said so much, and I thought maybe you would like it too, but if you think it's lame, I get it, and I can always-"

"Isabella," I cut her off. "Thank you."

Her mouth curled into a smile. "You're welcome." she said in a cute little voice.

I put it down on my desk.

"Ferb?" I turned towards her. "There is a part two, if you want."

"What's part two?" I asked. I watched her tiptoe to the door and lock it. "What are you doing? Isa-"

Isabella's lips crashed into mine. I didn't even register what was happening before I eagerly kissed back. Our tongues battled for a bit before I fell backwards on my bed, pulling her down on top of me. I suddenly felt painfully hot in my clothing.

I sat up with Isabella still on me. She started kissing my neck. I reached down for my shirt and she helped me pull it off. She got up and pulled off her dress, as I took off my pants. She jumped on me again.

"Am I drunk?" I mumbled.

"No." She panted.

"Are you?"

"No." She repeated.

"Then what's going on?" I asked.

"Part two. I'm yours tonight." She said. "You can do whatever you want with me tonight."

I flipped her onto her back and kissed her again. My hand was tracing her bra. "How much more can we do?" She sat up a little, and I unhooked it, and then tossed it off somewhere.

"I don't know." She grumbled. "I thought it sounded romantic."

"Romantic?" I questioned. I slid one hand down to remove her panties, and the other was playing with her hair.

"Ohhh…" She moaned. "That wasn't what I meant to say."

I got up and took off my boxers. "What did you mean to say?"

"How about we play Ferb talks and I shut up?" She said. I put both my hands on her inner thighs and pulled them apart. "Ferb!" She let out my name in a voice much higher than normal.

"Isabella, you do know that there's a party going on right outside this door, and literally every person we've ever known is out there, right?" I said.

"Ferb," She said cheekily. "If you cared about that, we wouldn't be in this position, now would we?"

Damn it, she was right. She grabbed my head and kissed me again. I moved inside of her. I gently sucked on her collarbone. She threw her legs around me, sinking me in deeper.

"Ferb… fuck… Ferb… holy… you're so… so… damn it… Ferb!"

Isabella was moaning, like she always does, and between everything, I realized something. She was getting louder. As in, everybody out there was going to hear Isabella Garcia-Shapiro screaming my name. And there was no way we could stop now. I quickly looked at her. She was going to scream. I could tell.

Before her mouth opened, I covered it with mine. And at about the same time I reached my peak and so did she. It felt like the whole bed was vibrating.

I pulled myself off her. We were panting desperately. "I… I…can't breathe." Isabella wheezed.

"Calm down." I said slowly. I stroked her hair, as we laid down on my pillows, facing each other.

"Happy… happy birthday." She panted. I wrapped my arm around her. "Man, this feels so cliché. Hooking up during a wild party."

"At least somebody else wasn't doing it." I remarked.

"How do you know Phineas' room isn't 'occupied'?" She asked, laughing.

"Isabella, that's disgusting." I said, laughing as well. I stared at her. "You are so beautiful."

"Why do you always say that like an observation?" She asked.

"Because it's a fact." I said.

"Doubtful." She said.

"Give yourself some credit." I said.

"No, you give yourself some credit!" She said, poking me in the chest. "You are the perfect guy! Every single girl out there was eyeing you when you were dancing. Plus, you're super smart, and super sweet, and I have to say, you are so fucking hot!"

"Do you believe what you're saying?" I asked. "After all, I'm no Phineas. Or Monty."

"Stop comparing yourself to them! And Vanessa needs to go to a clinic, because she is crazy for picking that guy over you!" Isabella said passionately. I stared at her. She yawned. "I am so tired."

"You can take a quick cat-nap." I said. "Judging from the music, the party isn't even close to being done."

"Okay." She jumped up, and re-dressed herself. I did too. Then she dropped back onto the bed and shut her eyes.

I watched her fall asleep almost instantly. I sighed and sat at the corner of the bed. "You really were tired. Huh, here I am, talking to you, the very thing you always want me to do, and you're sleeping through it." I said softly. "You are beautiful, Isabella. I'll always think that. Isabella… I think… I think I love you. Not in love! I'm not in love with you. I'm in love with Vanessa. But I love you. There's no other term for what I feel. I love you."


	21. Denying and Crying

**Hey! So, I was going to update Princesses and this, but now I'm going to be gone till Monday, so this is the last update for a while.**

* * *

The girls were coming over to my place today. They wanted to watch some new movie that had just come out. I didn't mind. I used to be the person who would whine and complain when everybody else chose a romantic movie. It isn't that I don't like them, it's just they always sort of bummed me out. Either there's a "Hollywood" happy ending or a tragic "somebody dies, unrequited love" ending. But, you know, I actually really wanted to watch a romantic movie today!

I even had popcorn and other snacks all ready to go. I had also cleaned up my place a little today, and I went out and got flowers for the entire apartment. You know, just to brighten the place up!

"Izzy, we're here!" I heard Ginger yell.

"I'll be there in a minute!" I called. I opened the door, and Holly, Katie, Ginger, and Milly shuffled in. "Where's Gretch and Adyson?"

"Adyson said her date with Toby might run long, and Gretch has a double shift today, so they'll be here later. Gretchen said we could start without her." Milly said to me.

I smiled and shrugged. "Okay. Come on in guys!"

I shut the door and strolled over to my dining room table, and adjusted the flower bouquet on it. The girls looked around the apartment in awe.

"Wow, Iz, you really made it look nice today!" Holly said.

"I know! Don't you just love the flowers?" I said.

"Isabella, how the hell are you so perky?" Katie asked. "Because of the party last night, I'm so tired!"

"No, I'm pretty sure you're so tired because you were playing beer-pong by yourself against the team of Buford and Irving. How could you possibly think that was a good idea?" Ginger asked.

"I won, didn't I?" Katie retorted.

"Girls, don't fight! Here, I'll go get the snacks." I said. I grabbed the bowls from the kitchen and strolled back over to the girls, humming as I walked. "Alright, let's watch this!"

Milly was staring at me. "Isabella, what's up with you? The flowers all over the place, the humming?"

"What do you mean?" I asked sweetly.

"You're just so… happy! I mean, look at her, girls! She's practically glowing!" She said.

I blushed a little. "No, I'm not." I said softly.

"Oh my gosh! I know why you're acting like this!" Ginger squealed. "It's that guy, isn't it?"

"What guy?" I asked.

"Oh, stop playing dumb, Isabella! It's that guy you're sleeping with!" Ginger said.

"Oh my gosh, yes! Did you see him last night?" Katie asked.

"How could she have seen him last night? She was at the party since we started setting it up!" Holly admonished. I gulped guiltily.

"Actually, hasn't she been like this for a while?" asked Milly.

"You're right! She hasn't been anything like that desperate Isabella she used to be in a long time!" Holly exclaimed.

"Stop." I commanded gently, laying down on the couch. "Sit. Watch." I couldn't stop blushing or smiling. I guess I did feel happy.

"Girls, I see all the signs." Ginger said in a knowing tone. "Isabella's in love!"

"What!" I sat up. "I am not!"

"There's no use denying it." Katie said. "You are so in love."

"Fine, I'm in love." I said. "With PHINEAS. You know, the same Phineas I've been in love with my whole life."

"I don't think so. Unless this same love you've had your whole life has suddenly decided to make you a thousand times brighter, I'd say you might've fallen hard for your mystery guy." Ginger said.

"Which is totally defeating the purpose of being friends-with-benefits, I have to say." Said Milly.

"I'm in love with Phineas." I repeated weakly.

"Girl, we know you are not sleeping with Phineas." Holly said. "If you were, we'd never have heard the end of it. And you won't even tell us this guy's name!"

"When the hell did you all turn into Adyson?" I complained.

"Just admit you love this guy, and we'll stop." Said Katie.

"I'm not in love with him!" I cried. "I… just… might… have some very strong feelings for him."

"Isabella, you're his friend, you're attracted to him, you've slept with him, and you have feelings for him. Why don't you just ask him out? Forget Phineas, you might've found your dream guy!" Milly declared.

"I can't." I said.

"Why can't you?" Holly asked.

"Because!" I collapsed back onto the couch. "He would say no." I said softly.

"You don't know that." Ginger said sweetly.

I sat up again angrily. "No, I totally do know that! First of all, we promised we'd stay friends! Just friends! Second of all, he's totally in love with another girl! Like, totally in love! And third of all, I've known him for a long long time, and he's never, ever shown any kind of sign that he wants our relationship to be anything other than platonic! I mean, if he wanted to, he could've asked me out before! And I don't care what anybody says, because it only matters what I say, and I would've said yes! I would've said yes, regardless of Phineas! Because no matter how many times I try to deny it, he's the greatest person I've ever met! Not to mention I feel like jumping on him and doing something rated M for mature every time I see his adorable face! But, you know what? He NEVER asked me out because he NEVER wanted to be more than friends! He didn't even really want to be friends-with-benefits! I forced him into it! And now I'm fucking him all the time, and you know what girls? You know what? He STILL doesn't want me! He wants his other girl! So it doesn't matter if I'm over Phineas or if I have feelings for this boy, because… HE… WOULD… SAY… NO."

The girls were staring at me, and they looked petrified. "Isabella," Katie said softly. "You're crying."

Huh? I touched my hand to my cheek. It was wet. I forcefully rubbed hands on my face, wiping away any tears. "No, I'm not." I said gruffly.

"Oh my… Izzy." Ginger opened up her arms to me. I couldn't help but rush into her hug. And now, I knew I was crying.

"Why doesn't he want me, Ginger?" I cried softly. "Why doesn't Phineas? What the hell is wrong with me?"

"Relax, Isabella, relax." She said sweetly. "I'll tell you what's wrong with you: nothing! It's not your fault; it's the boys'. It's not like they don't love you, it's that they haven't realized it yet. And also… they don't know you love them."

"I'm only in love with Phineas." I said stubbornly.

"I don't think so…" Katie started.

"No, please, please, stop! I don't want to talk about boys or break-ups or love, please!" I begged.

There was a loud knock on the door, followed by what sounded like screaming. I wiped the remaining tears off my face, and rushed to the door. I opened it and saw Gretchen… with Adyson sobbing on her shoulder. I gave Gretchen a bewildered look.

"Toby broke up with her." Gretchen whispered as quietly as she could. Adyson started howling even louder.

Great.


End file.
